Blue Ersatz
by SuzieQuaKes
Summary: CHAPTER 16 UPDATED! -AU- "D-Drew, what is going on?" He looked down at me with a smirk and flicking the chatruese hair away from his face, he muttered something that made my stomach drop. "We're going to rob a casino." Contestshipping/Pokeshipping/slight Ikarishipping
1. Here Comes Goodbye

Author's Note: Yes, this is a new chapter story(: I decided that since I deleted three of my ongoing, stuck fictions—I should have the right to write one more, hmm? Well, I really hope you like this one.

Each chapter is a name of a song that I found fitting. So on the whole, it creates an entire soundtrack to the story. :)

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| ~ | ~ |** B **l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~

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"**H**ere **C**omes **G**oodbye"_

-_SuzieQuaKes_-

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"_Here comes goodbye, here comes the last time, here comes the start of every sleepless night, the first of every tear I'm gonna cry."_

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_

Absolutely stunning. The woman that was in front of me, wearing my wedding dress was breathtaking. Even beautiful would be an understatement. Her name was Jennifer Something and she was definitely drop-dead gorgeous like all Jennifers were.

Golden matte skin, shining hair and the biggest sea-green eyes you would see in your entire life. She smiled at me from the mirror. Her teeth would put dentists out in the streets, jobless.

The dress that was originally made for me, hung like a piece of artwork on her well-shaped figure. Like it was painted especially for her by a eminent artist.

And to make matters worst, I was sure she was completely aware of it. Posing before a three-paneled mirror in my boutique, Jennifer was amazed by what she saw in the glass. She looked like Cinderella, after her Fairy Godmother had waved away the stained muslins, and the mistreated heroine realized that there would never be another dress like this.

And there would certainly _never _be another dress like this.

Jennifer's mother, a woman by the name of Grace, stood next to her daughter, admiring with an amused smirk on her face. She certainly wasn't very graceful though. She was the one who had yanked _my_ dress off the mannequin and shoved it into Jennifer's arms while Jennifer was walking to the trial-room. _Despite my reaction_.

The said-woman opened her red-painted lips to speak: "Oh, Jenny!" She gushed, her eyes full of approval. If this were some animated cartoon, she would definitely be having red hearts all around her plump face. "It's just _lovely._ Absolutely perfect!"

_Of course it's perfect. _I found myself curling my lip in disgust. Words were definitely forming in my mind. Words of protest that would undoubtedly convince the duo _not _to buy the dress.

The bride-to-be giggled and sashayed around the room, flashing her Miss America smile that looked like it would cause every male to fall at her feet or simply swoon in admiration. She swished her hips in my dress and I could still hear it calling out my name as it rustled across the marble-tiled floor.

_May. May._

One of the endless things that I loved about that particular dress was how the tulle and chiffon became a duet that spoke my name when it whooshed across the floor.

"Oh, Mom! It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Jennifer twirled around to face her mother, her face beaming like the sun of California.

_May._

I felt a surge of energy pulse through my body, leaving my fingertips cold and my mouth dry. In my mind; I told my beautiful dress to please, please stop saying that. I couldn't think straight.

_May._

"You know, dear, I never really expected to find anything useful in a _used _dress shop. I mean—_really_. Who'd have thought?" Grace spoke with a voice of authority in her voice as if the owner of this "_used"_establishment was either deaf, gone or simply unimportant. "I was going to speak you out of coming here—but look at you! You look heavenly."

"See? I told you that it was going to be worth it." Jennifer answered her mother and she caught my eye in the mirror as she turned back to her reflection. She smiled a conciliatory grin that seemed to say something along the lines of '_Pay no attention to my mother. She may be a bit rude at times.'_

After the little message, Jennifer's eyes fell back onto the dress, which she looked at with complete adoration. "It's perfect, isn't it?"

And that was when I usually say something like, "_That's the one for you, Jennifer_." Amanda. Emily. Sally. Whoever. "_Shall we see if there's a veil you like?"_

But that wasn't what came out of my mouth. "Um, I don't know." I mumbled under my breath.

Three heads swayed in my direction. The first being Jennifer's. Then Grace's. Then my mother's. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the graying head of auburn hair dart up from writing cash registers and shake her head ever so slightly. She thought I couldn't see her.

Actually, she _knew _I could see her.

"What do you mean, 'I don't know'?" Grace demanded, fast on my back. The little fake laugh in her throat screamed out, '_This has got to be a joke!'_

Unfortunately for her, it wasn't.

"The thing is—" I started to say, catching the eyes of the furious mother's."I don't know if I can sell you that dress." I finished off lamely. I tried to add a drop of lament in my voice. So it'd sound '_Like Golly, I wish I could sell it to you, but I just can't!'_

"Oh, no!" Jennifer's perfect face drooped with disappointment. "Is it being held for someone else?"

"You could say that," my mother mumbled from the background. I glanced over my shoulder and tossed her a look but she had her head down. All I could see of her was the gold-rimmed glasses propelled on top of her hair and the lime-green scarf draped around her neck.

"Why didn't you say so before she tried it on?" asked the MOTB—mother of the bride. Like her daughter, her expression was also instantly morphed. But I wouldn't call it 'oozing disappointment' like that of Jennifer's. No, she was simply mad.

"I, uh, I'm sorry. I was paying attention to what Jennifer was taking into the dressing room. I hadn't realized that one had been taken off it's mannequin."

I sensed that my mother had lifted her chin again. A mother always knew when her child was lying. But in this case; it was obvious that she knew I was telling a lie. I always paid extra attention, just to that particular dress, hung up in front of the shop—behind the glass. Showcasing it to everybody—but never selling it.

_Never._

"Well, for heaven's sake! Why in the world is it hung out here with all the other gowns?" Grace growled. She placed a well manicured hand on the hip of her pink Capri. Like I didn't know that she was ticked. "It's not marked that it's being held!"

Suddenly getting a new thought; I pushed back my brown hair. "Actually, it's not marked at all."

The auburn head in the back went back down. I wasn't lying about that. There weren't any price tag on that dress.

Grace pursed her colored lips but didn't say anything.

"Are you really sure that the other person wants it?" Jennifer's voice was full of hope. I took a long look at her face, as if to remember that kind of anxiety of getting married. Just to drink in the look and taste that kind of expectation.

"Not entirely," I answered; my voice sounding funny. Grace was being too mad to notice. Jennifer, too, was disappointed. My mother had surely picked up on it, but said nothing.

"Well, could you let me know the minute she decides that she doesn't want it?" Jennifer had turned back to look at herself once more; clad in the perfect wedding dress. _My _perfect wedding dress.

"Will do. And I have lots of other dresses for you to try on. The first one you picked was worn by a woman who married a classmate from Kindergarten. They hadn't seen each other in twenty years—and just suddenly, they meet up in the grocery store."

Jennifer still stared at my dress on her body with longing showing in her oceanic eyes.

I decided to try again. "That one over there," I pointed to a ruffly gown that a tall mannequin was wearing. "That one was worn by a woman who waited four years for her fiancé to wake up from a coma. They married last spring in Rome."

Jennifer sighed. "What's the story for this dress?" She stroked my gown wistfully, practically pouting.

I turned away from her image in the mirror and avoided her eyes as I stiffened. "It's not that great of a story."

Jennifer motioned for her mother to tackle the zipper and as she did so, I saw the tiny blue satin heart that was sewn into the back of all the wedding dresses I sell at Blessed Blue. It was my little way of commissioning these gowns of wonder. And also removing any mental link to a past that was best left forgotten.

Jennifer stepped down off the mirrored platform, picking up the fairy-like skirt. "Why? Did the couple get divorced?"

I swallowed deeply, trying with all my might not to let a flicker of emotion show through my eyes. Although it had been many years before, I still clung to that fairytale end that was supposed to have happened to me.

_Supposed to_.

Before somebody took it away from me.

"No," I finally answered, trying to say something that brought my heart utter misery. "They didn't get married."

Jennifer's eyes flashed with curiosity as she joined her mother's side—whom I might add-was—listening with just as much enthusiasm. "Why not?"

I licked my lips that had suddenly gone dry. I had told this story many years over the past years, but it didn't mean that it got any easier or the hurt got any less. I shrugged as if to say that I really didn't know why Drew had said "I don't" and called off our wedding, just hours before we were about to say "I do."

"I guess the couple decided that they weren't right for each other," I said calmly, forcing the lump in my throat to go away.

"Why didn't the woman just take the dress back to the store she bought it?" asked Grace, apparent now that she, too, was pulled into the tale of woe. "She hadn't worn it."

Oh, Grace. _Of course_, I had worn it. Many times in my bedroom, leading up to what was supposed to have been my wedding day. Looking at myself with bliss, that familiar jitter racing through my heart as I imagined the wedding for the millionth time in my head—before falling back in my bed, not wanting to slip out of it. Wanting to hug the soft and sweet-smelling garment and take it to bed.

I felt tears coming into my eyes just by the mere thought. I forced them away quickly. But I understood what Grace meant. Technically, the dress that Jennifer was wearing was a new, never-been-worn gown that was usually worth more than the truly used items that were sold in this secondhand dress store.

"She had it custom-made, actually," I finally answered Grace's question, and sniffled slightly.

"Well, surely the seamstress could've found another buyer! A gown as beautiful as _that_."

I cleared my throat, feeling very uncomfortable all the sudden. No customer had asked for this much detail about one dress. I wasn't sure that I was about to tell the whole story either. "Um, perhaps, but the girl kind of . . . held on to it for a while."

"Ah, so it was the guy who dumped _her,_" Grace nodded her head. Like she understood everything. She didn't know the slightest thing about how it felt.

I could make out a lump rising in my throat again. After all these years and it still hadn't fade away. Hearing the fact that it was "_the guy who dumped her_" didn't exactly help either.

"That's so sad." Jennifer's beautiful features crisscrossed with empathy.

"Better to find those things out _before _the ceremony rather than being made a fool out of." Grace's tone was thick with her ever-so-present matronly self-assurance.

Being made a fool is the right phrase; I found myself thinking. Just looking back on that lovely autumn evening . . . I remembered everything about it. The white seats already starting to fill with friends, family and guests, the beautiful streamers fluttering like butterflies in the cool wind . . . Being told over the phone that your fiancé was not going to show up . . .

I winced. The burning sensation of humiliation etched into the pit of my stomach once again as I flashbacked to my mother's horrified face, my father's look of fury and my brother's plain look of sympathy.

"Do you know this girl? Is she okay?" Jennifer asked, her face revealing consideration. Jennifer was just too good to be true. Hopeful. Kind. Compassionate. Beautiful _even _when she pouts.

I should just let her keep the dress; I thought to myself. I should just give it to her. It wasn't like I had anything left to do with it. The Voice of Reason from within me prodded. _Give her the dress. Give her the dress._

I coughed, trying to block out the irritating thoughts. I knew that I could never, not in a million years—_ever_ sell the dress to anybody in the world. My mother often called me too foolish to keep on holding on to the past when nothing good was going to come out of it. But I disagreed. I knew that there was a reason why I was doing this. Even if it didn't seem crystal-clear right then, I knew there was a reason.

There _had_ to be.

"She's all right." I tossed my head back, hoping I would be thought-free. "She knows there's going to be somebody else out there who's going to sweep her off her feet."

_But she still wishes he would come back to her; _the little voice inside of me added as I mentally cursed it. It was silly of me to want him to come back and I was completely aware of that particular fact. But I guess no matter how long it had been, there would always be a little piece of me that still hoped . . .

"Well, of course there is!" Jennifer chirped, not noticing my brooding as she turned back towards the dressing rooms. "There's someone out there for everyone!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that . . ." Grace muttered.

"But I still want this dress," Jennifer remarked, oblivious to her mother's comment as she began to walk away. "If the other girl doesn't want it, I do. I don't care about it's first life. Besides, I believe in those little blue hearts you sew into the dresses. And I _don't_ think it's ever possible for a dress to be cursed. So I want you to call me if she changes her mind, okay?"

What else could I say except nod my head and agree? "Certainly."

And as Jennifer walked away, the dress swished and swayed. I heard my name in every step.

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A/N: God, that seemed short D: I wrote that in three(or two?) short hours so it's definately not my best quality ;) But I wanted to post it so quickly and see what you guys think! My Beta hasn't seen this yet . . . Agh, Adam would so kill me D8

So there's tons of mistakes out there, I know. :) It's very similar to the book Blue Blessed Heart-but the plot is going to be completely different. I promise. :P It's like 1 AM right now, so I'm off to bed. See you, dudes. (:

Review. Flame. Give Love. Criticize.

I'm all ready.

-suzie x

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_Edited: 4th September '10_


	2. No Air

Author's Note:

Hey guys. Back with a new chapter, I guess. Well, so most of you guys didn't get the first chapter and is wondering "how the hell with Contestshipping come in when Drew is the _ex_-groom?" Well, it will and only _I _know how it will-because I'm the writer. (: It's really simple, actually. You just read along and see what's going to happen next. And I'm planning on making this a _really _long story-so obviously the first chapter won't have fluffy CS moments! :P

Eh, the point is for you all to be just patient and see how it'll turn out before jumping to conclusions . . .

Yeah, I'm rambling but well, sometimes it kinda ticks me off if people are dense like this. Anyway . . . let's start before some people take what I say personally and pellet me with rocks Dx

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| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

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"**N**o **A**ir" _

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

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"_Losing you is like living in a world with no air."_

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When I was little; I used to wonder why all the little girls weren't named after months. It seemed to me like the most natural thing in the world to be called May, to share the meaning of something known across the entire planet as cheerful, bright and the start of spring. I remembered feeling a sense of pity for Kate, my best friend in the first grade, whose name meant nothing. Her name conjured no happy mental images, no bright colors, not symbolizing anything. My room was wallpapered with flowers, hers with mermaids. Absolutely no connection whatsoever. Poor thing.

It wasn't until I got to Junior High that I actually realized that my name was not only synonymous with sunshine and flowers but also with Christopher Columbus's ship as well as all things bovine. It was hard to be twelve and be May. The popular girls in my suburban area simply tended to poke fun at this fact, if they weren't already busy with ignoring me. The rest displayed a kind of compassionate pity for the girl which evoked images of a dirty old ship.

The boys?

Well most of them had watched enough reruns of _Dukes of Hazzard _to be able to remind me that life is never fair. And people with the name May don't often get much respect.

I never told my father that the lovely name he chose for me didn't had as much cultural appeal as Jessica or Natalie. Once, I had told him about the kids at my school calling me Mayflower. He thought it was cute and even joined into the chorus. I wouldn't exactly call it fatherly help. Not to say that my little brother was a stand-up for me either. He would rather laugh than sympathize.

The only person I had ever known who called my name playfully and lovingly was . . . as much as I hate to admit it—_him_. It wasn't that my ex-fiancé was anything except narcissist and sarcastic—but I felt that I had understood him so well. I felt that he had a whole different side of him that he displayed to me and me alone.

Which could explain the reason why I was horrified when he called just when I was slipping on my beautiful wedding gown and asked if I had gotten his voice message. I had seen the flashing red light that blinked a staccato warning on my phone when I last checked—but I dismissed it as the caterer calling to make last-minute details, or the florist phoning about the baskets of white and red roses she had dropped off.

I hadn't seen him for a couple of days before the wedding because his father and friends kept him away—sort of like doing their own thing while the girls were struggling with their own problems. I hated to be away, so near the wedding—but the thought of pledging our lives for each other was enough to settle me down. I didn't want to seem too clingy either.

But when Drew asked me whether I was sitting down—chills were immediately crawling down my spine as anxiety took me over. He finally said—with an odd sedate voice—that he wasn't going to show up. His excuse was that he wasn't ready for serious commitment. Of course; I found that explanation being simply appalling. We had been dating for two years, and he had turned twenty-four. Wasn't it about time to stop playing the field and settle down? Where did all those "_I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you_" go?

I didn't faint or anything like what he expected when he asked if I were sitting or standing. But I felt a cold and strange feeling sweep over me like an unexpected wind on a still night. There was no sadness or grief—just unexplained dread.

It was _after _the whole day of humiliation that I felt the tears wash over me like I had just realized it for the first time. I curled in my bed, hugging my wedding dress that I never got to wear and cried myself to sleep.

Painful memories.

"MAY!"

Standing up straight from reflexes, my head darted up from the sink and collided with the medicine cabinet. Soapy water drizzled down the front of my pajamas as I groaned and rubbed my head. I was washing my hair, when that _voice _came and knocked me into the fifth dimension. Okay, maybe an exaggeration—but hey, that _hurt_.

It was Saturday, the one day that I took a break from my boutique. My mother took my place every Saturday, leaving me to relax and spend the day in peace before heading for another round of finding the right dress for the Karens and Nicoles, all the while leading them _away _from mine.

I heard amused giggles and they did not pleasant my ear. I growled, whipping around, water-drops flying from my hair and what I saw was a pesky brat. If my father heard me; he'd have said that it wasn't very nice to call _my little brother _that. Max wasn't a little brother. Sometimes I swear that he was dropped at our doorsteps by aliens.

Max _had _grown up, though and he looked like a small replica of my father—so the genes were still there. _Thank God. _He sniggered, his dark little eyes oozing with laughter. But they weren't friendly 'ha-ha' laughter. They were the 'mwa-ha-ha' type. Call me crazy-but I refused to believe Max was anything but annoying, no matter how old he was.

"Look at you," he boomed and exploded with laughter once again. Normally, I kept the bathroom locked when I go inside and take a shower. Somehow; I managed to forget that I still lived with an annoying nineteen year old brother and two parents that were too busy to teach him some manners. Seriously. You'd think being twenty-three would make me have my own place to live. But, well, we all know how my hopes were crushed by somebody I wouldn't care to mention.

"What do you want?" I hissed, grabbing a towel and wrapping my hair in a bundle. "Don't you ever know how to _knock_? What if I were actually _taking a shower_? Gosh, I need a bathroom attatched to my own room."

"You talk too much," Max answered, and I tried to ignore the fact that his usually high voice had deepened over the years. Now it felt like an earthquake every time he spoke. "I knew you weren't taking a shower, duh! The water wasn't running!"

I rolled my eyes and brushed past him; make sure to bump him _hard_ as I stomped back to my room. Max ran after me. "Hey! Don't you wanna know why I barged in?"

"Maybe because you're Rat-Face?" I asked sarcastically as I turned around to face him. "Hi, Rat-Face! What's up, Rat-Face?" Then I covered my mouth with my hand in mock shock. "Oops, did I just call you _Rat-Face_? Sorry, Rat-Face!"

Max hated the name that I gave him since we were merely kids. I couldn't help but torture him, though. What were little—or well, big because he had grown taller than me by four inches—brothers for other than your own personal item to make fun of? As expected, his eyes darkened like rain clouds. "_You're _a rat! In fact, you're a _whole _rat! Go eat some cheese, rat!"

Oh yes, we haven't grown up yet.

"Whatever, _lame-o,_" I muttered and spun on my bare heels, drying my hair with the drenched towel. Before I could finally go inside to the privacy of my own room, a familiar chuckle interrupted and I felt my knees melt at the joints and I dropped my towel. I tried not to swear—because my mother said it was a horrible habit and not very lady-like. Actually, no—she said she was going to ground me if she heard me swearing around in the house. Ah, I couldn't remember.

I gathered enough courage left in the partly-drenched, PJ-clad body of mine and turned around to stare into the _perfect _milky brown eyes, shaped with its dark brows and crinkles around the edges. He stared at the towel on the ground before back into my surely surprised azure eyes. Oh my God; I just died a little bit.

Well, to say that I was over my ex-fiancé—e_ven if he left me—_wouldn't actually be me telling the truth. But then again, saying that I didn't have a crush as big as the Grand Canyon on one of my father's assistants at the stock market he worked that-would be a lie again. To rethink it over; he was everything that _every _girl wanted. He had choppy hair, the color of sand-dunes in the desert and eyes that flecked with gold in the sun. He also had a warm sense of humor—which Drew could sure use. Why was I thinking about _Drew_anyway?

"Hey guys," Daniel '_Danny'_ Parker grinned as he flashed us a thumbs-up. He wore that smile that people do when they're trying hard not to laugh but it shows through their eyes anyway. And did I mention that Danny was four years older than I was? Yeah, that would explain why he called us 'guys' and not by our individual names. He opened his mouth again to speak—and I prayed that he wouldn't mention about the way I was looking. Please, _please _don't.

"Had a little accident in the bathroom, May-o?"

I groaned silently. There was the answer to my prayers. Note to self: kill Max. I laughed nervously instead of grabbing any sharp weapon and pounding the little pest. The idea was tempting though. However; the thought of sitting in jail for the murder of your brother wasn't. So the idea was impossible, but _still _tempting. "Uh, yeah."

"I told you there was a reason behind my barging in," my little alien brother chimed in. "Danny wanted take us out for pizza."

"Yeah, your dad wanted you two to stop bickering all the time and go out a little," Danny answered, like it was his cue to come in. "And I happen to be free today. He said he trust me with you guys. But, uh—you might wanna go change before we head out, May-o."

Danny always called me May-o because he said my name reminded him of mayonnaise. Yeah, my name reminded people of a lot of things that I didn't like. But I let him call whatever he wanted. Even if he decided to call me Rotten Fish Eggs one day—I would comply with glee.

"Oh, do you mind if I call Dawn to tag along?" I suddenly asked, remembering my blue-haired best friend.

The reason why I wanted her to come was that she was a big fan of Danny too. It was sort of relieving to have someone to share all your fantasies with. When I was together with Drew; Dawn had a big crush on him too—so we'd stay up till over midnight, discussing what we'd do with him when we had him all for ourselves. Well when Drew left me . . . let's say Dawn was anything but pleased. She even threw out of her magnificent _Drew-tastic Collection_ that she had worshipped for the past decade or so. Dawn was a great friend, needless to say.

The sandy-haired, twenty-six year old shrugged. "If you want, go ahead. Dawn is no problem."

Max, on the other hand, groaned. "Oh, no! Not Dawn!" Max hated my best friend because when she was there, it was technically like having _two_ sisters, instead of one, that torture him to no extent.

"Okay!" I chirped happily, ignoring my brother's outcry and almost forgetting that I had wet tangles of hair falling across my forehead and my pajamas were covered with faded pictures of rabbits. "I'll be right back!"

"You might wanna take your towel with you, _rat._" Max pointed out as he adjusted the rims of his glasses. I sheepishly picked up the damp garment and smiled.

"See you in fifteen!"

Danny laughed and waved me off. A little flutter arose in my heart as I practically jumped back into my red-painted room. When I said red, I meant really deep, bright red. And as a result from the dark paint—my room felt shadowy all the time, but I wasn't one to care much. I grabbed my cell-phone from where it lay on my study table and dialed Dawn's speed-dial, waiting in anticipation for the blunette to pick up.

"Hey, chickadee! How's it going?" I felt a smile form on my lips as her bubbly nature showed through her voice. People say that we were a lot like each other—except for the fact that Dawn was slightly more over the edge and dramatic while I held some sarcasm and fire.

"Take a wild guess," I amusingly replied as I hurried to my closet, and looked at the clothes stuffed in with disgust.

"Eep! I don't know!" Dawn squealed from the other end. "Give me clues!"

"Okay, it's good news," I told her as I grabbed a hanger and looked the outfit over before tossing it away where it fell to the floor, unwanted. "And you'll totally scream when you hear it."

"Drew came back to you?" Dawn asked uncertainly. I almost felt my smile drop at the sound of his name.

"Um, no, not quite," I answered in a quiet voice. "Keep guessing though."

"Umm . . . you're having a party!"

I laughed. Trust Dawn to wish for a party. I felt a bit relieved to laugh because I was stung when Dawn's first guess was that Drew came back. Was she really expecting him to? Was I? I didn't know. I guess I was, though, despite of it all.

"No parties just yet," I replied, as I spotted a shopping bag pushed into the corner. Now _that_ waswhat I wanted to see. My new cotton J. Crew Sylvan dress in jet black that I had bought the other day. "Well, I'll just go ahead and tell you. Danny's taking us out to pizza!"

"What?" my best friend squealed. "No way! What am I going to wear? You're so lucky to have that new dress!"

"Just mix-n-match, Dawn," I told her with a laugh. "You're amazing at that."

There was a slight pause on the other end which indicated that Dawn wasn't listening to what I was saying. I could just see her running to her closet and deciding what to wear. Clothes were such an important part of life.

"Hey, I'm going to go, okay?" I said into the phone, holding it in the crook of my shoulder, pressing to my ear as I looked over the dress and deciding that it was good enough; laid it on the bed. Hearing a murmur from Dawn, I smiled to myself and hung up the phone, tossing it over the dressing table.

Somehow, if I had known what was going to happen at the pizza place—I would never have agreed to go. Because soon enough; my defining moment was yet to come.

* * *

_Patter. Pit. Patter. Pit._

It was drizzling. Danny told us that it was just a mere spring shower, nothing more, nothing less. But the wind was strong and cold and it made my dress fly like the streamers on the day of my wedding. Why did everything have to lead back to _that?_

We got a cozy booth near the back of the crowded restaurant. It was as if almost all the residents of Petalburg had decided that today would be a great day for warm, cheesy pizza. Well; I guess it just so happens that it _was _a perfectly good day for pizza. Although I would love to eat the triangular pieces of cheese and tomato any time of the week.

Dawn sat facing me; Max was on her side (looking very helpless all of a sudden) and Danny sat by my side. His musky cologne drifted my nose and I almost sighed. He was enticing, really. The only person I knew who was even _more _tantalizing would be Drew—and that was just because he was so unpredictable. One moment he would be picking at my flaws, making snide remarks and the next, he would act like the sweetest person in the world.

Oh well. What's over was over; that was what Mom would say if I ever mentioned this.

"You know," Max remarked when the waiter left with our orders, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "It's turned two years today."

Oh, crap. He remembered. I hoped he wouldn't go off and tell the entire story to Danny. It wasn't like I needed him to know that I was previously thrown to the side and made a fool out of, two years ago. I mean—he would have considered me as . . . cheap and kind of stupid, probably.

"What's turned two years?" the sandy-haired man asked absentmindedly as he flipped through the menu, reading the interesting names. I saw Dawn nibble on her lower lip in the corner of my eyes. She remembered too. I guess people really were concerned about my love-life.

But I knew that Dawn, unlike Max, shared my anxious feelings. My 'little' brother, however, just wanted to embarrass me.

"Since May's wedding," the dark-haired teen chirped with a smug smile thrown to me.

_Surprisingly, _Danny laughed with his brows raised up dramatically. "May's married? I never knew that."

"She's not," Dawn said quickly, elbowing Max slightly. She laughed nervously. "That's stupid, Max. Why would May be married?"

"Well, _technically_ she's not, but—"

"My little brother does that, sometimes," I cut him off, and turned to Danny with my own nervous giggle. "You know. He makes up stories."

"That's not true! May _was _going to get married! But the guy didn't come!"

Well, thanks a lot, dear _brother. _The secret that I had kept from him had just blown up in front of my face. And if that wasn't enough, Max's cry almost caused half of the restaurant to look my way. He was so going to get it. Among all the other strangers that stared at me, the milky-eyed young man was among them. His look was of surprise and pity, I suppose.

"Really? How come you never told me?" he demanded, and I tried not to stare at the crinkles edged around the corner of his bright eyes and the lamp shades above the table that created little shadows onto his dazzling features.

"There's a lot she doesn't tell you," Max kept on chirping, ignoring the looks that I was throwing at him. "Like how she—mmph."

I kicked him under the table, making him shut up. _God_, little brothers were annoying.

"How inhuman of him to just not show up." Danny observed with a smile of sympathy. The same kind of grin that everybody displayed when they hear my tale of tragedy. "What was he like?"

"Just stupid, insincere and arrogant," I muttered, all the while knowing that I was telling some lies. At first sight; Drew _may _appear that way. On the inside . . . Well, I just didn't know anymore. It had been too long since I last saw him.

Suddenly Dawn gasped and shakily held her hand out to point to something behind me. Max looked the way she was referring and his dark eyes flashed under the thick glasses and his mouth dropped a little bit.

I saw Danny raise a brow and turned to look at what they were looking at, their faces tight with horrid. I, too, followed his lead with a redundant pout. Just _what _was so intensifying that they had to look this way?

"Speak of the devil!" Max murmured from behind me and what I saw made my heart drop. My insides tightened with dread and yet, I felt myself getting excited just for a _teensy _bit.

It was him. Yes, it was him again! After two long years without seeing his face—there he was, in plain view. His hair had gotten longer; I found myself noting. They fell over his eyes, and I could feel his air of confidence just from far away. Oh Drew! I felt my heart quench as if he had came back . . . for _me. _He raised a hand to his shiny green locks and shook them a little so that drops of rain fell to the ground.

But it was when a female followed him—_that _was when I felt all my hopes fade away. My mind finally started to work, and the horrible truth was revealed to me. _Drew was not here for me_. He came, just like any other person in here, to get some pizza with his . . . _girlfriend? _It was possible. She smiled up at him before grabbing his arm and following the waiter for a table.

I felt everything around me disappear. He had found another girl. My fist clenched and I felt a nausea sweep over me, and suddenly felt sick. I tried to tell myself that we were over, a long time ago and that finding him with another girl shouldn't hurt! It shouldn't, at all! But the hideous truth was that it did.

The couple disappeared from my view but I still stared at the empty space that he stood, just a moment ago. I guess that was what he was. Just . . . a wonderful _illusion. _All the times that we had together flashbacked into my head as I kept staring. Drew calling me cute, tossing a rose ever so often, getting down on his knee to propose . . .

"May? Are you all right?"

A sudden soft voice that I recognized to be Dawn's, interrupted my sea of thoughts, and I felt myself being plunged back into reality even though I didn't want to. Closing my eyes tight and just forcing everything to go away; I swallowed and found my voice.

"Just a little surprised."

A little surprised? I felt proud of myself for sounding so reassuring. I guess it was easy for me to hide my feelings because I had done it so many times since the past two years. But _I_ knew the truth; and it hurt me, marred me and seemed to poke fun at me.

_Nothing_ was more bittersweet than still loving somebody who had thrown you away like an unwanted flower.

_Absolutely nothing._

_

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_

Author's Note:

R E V I E W.

My writing was _so _sloppy. Most it were kind of deliberate because you have to sound like the character when writing first person. But then, most were not.

Well, shoot me.

-Suzie x

PS: Long chapter (;

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_Edited: 4th September '10_


	3. All At Once

Author's Note:

Oh my Gosh, I'm so sorry I haven't updated anything in so long. It took me like ten days to write THIS amount , judging by how much homework we get every single day. :'( Don't be mad, I'm trying.

And stupid FF is being a bitch to me, :[ I'm finding some real difficulties in uploading this chapter! Well, enjoy...whenever you read it lol -_-;

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| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

_3  
"**A**ll **A**t **O**nce"  
_

_-SuzieQuaKes- _

_

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_

_"You begin to wonder, could you find a better one? Compare to her, now she's in question."_

_

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_

"You're kidding, girlfriend!"

_I wish_, I thought to myself in despair as I rolled my eyes. Crossing my hands over the yellow blouse I was wearing, I shook my head at my laughing assistant slash friend, Laura Denise. Laura was one of my closest friends that I met in high school. Although our friendship hadn't been going for as long as Dawn and I, we were still pretty inseparable. Laura knew about Drew, and then later on came to help with my boutique when she heard that our wedding got canceled. She had been there for me during rough times.

"I'm _not _kidding," I sighed, running my hands through my thick locks of chocolate hair. "He was there. And he was with . . . somebody else."

My friend's pretty and deep chocolate complexion clouded into sincerity and seriousness. "_What?_" she exclaimed. "That little . . . I _knew _he was no good since I saw him!"

"Laura, we can't blame him for being with another girl," I swallowed back my hurt and stared down at the floor. Leaning against the counter of Blessed Blue, I sighed. "It's just stupid of _me_ to care so much. I'm so _dumb._"

I felt the same nausea that swept over me when I first saw him. Just _thinking _about it made me feel sick all over again. The same hands that caressed me, that same lips that kissed me, the same _him _that told me all these lies about love, about devotion and adoration. . . Now he was doing the same to another girl. I clenched my fist until I could feel my nails digging into my flesh.

"May, darling, its okay," Laura whispered, as she rubbed my back. "I understand that you still haven't gotten over it. But, honey, to be honest, it's been two years. It's about time that you deserved somebody else."

I sniffed, telling myself to keep the tears down. Stop feeling like this when _he _probably was not even thinking about you in the slightest bit!

"What about that boy? _Danny _or somethin'?" Laura suddenly said. "I'm guessing he has some feelings for you, girl. Have you thought about getting _him?_ Maybe then you would get over that rascal for good."

I stopped thinking about Drew, my mind wandering to what Laura just said. She was right. And it wasn't as though _I _haven't thought of this before; I have. I've thought of Danny in many ways, and none of them were "just friends". Maybe if I stopped the mere crushing on him . . . and actually started to show that I—that I didn't want to be on the "_just friends" _terms . . . I knew I sounded major desperate, but it was the last (and only) option on my list of '_How to Get Over Andrew Hayden'._

I looked up into Laura's eyes and nodded with determination. "I'll do it."

_Drew, you aren't the only one who can find a replacement._

_

* * *

_

"Oh my God, I cannot believe that I had agreed to do this!" I cried in frustration, throwing myself on my bed. "I must have been _crazy, _under an alien warp or something! There is no way—no _way _that I am doing this!"

Dawn and Laura stood over me, arms across their chest and looking at me with frowns. Dawn raised a brow, tapping her foot impatiently as Laura just looked on wearily.

"I thought you wanted to get over Drew," they both said in unison, eyes narrowed. They looked at me like two angry principals, waiting to pounce on the kid who set off a food fight. I shriveled at the harsh tone of their voices and pushed up my lips in a pout.

"I do! But—but this is just _crazy_! He'll laugh into my face! Or he'll probably never talk to me again!"

"May, I talked out of a day of _work _with my overpowering bossto get to your sorry ass!" Dawn yelled; her arms on her hips. She flicked back her long blue hair and flared her nostrils. "And I did not do that for nothing! Come on, get dressed! We arranged the entire thing with Danny, and it's not a very good impression to be late." Her blue eyes flashed. "You should be grateful enough that I'm giving him up for you!"

I looked helplessly at Laura, hoping for a hint of sympathy that Dawn was clearly not showing. But my prayer was unanswered. Laura looked _very _fed-up with the entire thing. She shook her head of black braids and inserted her fingers in her belt hoops. "There are just two choices for you, chicka. See what you can do with Danny—or spend your life as a forty-year old virgin, daydreaming of once-upon-a-time."

Oh, geez, what would it cost for my _friends_ to be just a teeny bit more nice?

I sighed, and slowly raised myself from the mattress. "Do I _have _to do it?"

Dawn narrowed her eyes, and I instantly took back my words. She became like this every time she got out of work for me. And it wasn't like _I_ forced her to get a day off. She did it willingly; so that she had a reason to talk to her boss slash crush, Paul or something. And when that Paul guy got mad, she blames it on _me. _And believe me; I don't think that's very fair at all. He had been known for being a grump and _she _hadbeen known to grow an interest on every guy that passed by her.

"You either take it or leave it, May Maple," Dawn snapped.

_Die Dawn. Die._

I stood up. "Fine. What do I have to wear?"

"That's more like it!" The blue-haired girl chirped, her features brightening up into a humongous smile. "Now I found this _adorable _dress for you and you'd be like just _perfect!_"

"Bipolar," Laura muttered under her breath as Dawn raced over to bring out a _Bloomingdale's _shopping bag. "I _swear_ to God, she's crazy."

A few minutes passed. And before I knew it, I was sitting in front of my dressing table, wearing the light violet dress, with matching heels, my hair in a ponytail, and make-up all done. Dawn was beaming but Laura looked over me with a blank expression on her face. She had one hand on her hip and the other twiddling with her braids.

"Now all we have to do is drive to the park!" My happier friend said in a singsong voice, smiling. "Aw, I could just _imagine _the little Maple-Parker kids running around!"

I grinned back at Dawn, revealing all my teeth, before standing up, pose, elegant, and in all my glory. I walked forward a step. And stopped. Both of my friends' eyes were on me.

_. . ._

. . .

"I CANNOT DO THIS!"

* * *

Within a couple of minutes, I was thrown inside Laura's car. Dawn clasped my seat-belt on and then waved as we drove away from my house. Hello Mom and Dad? How could you _possibly _be watching re-runs of '_Seinfeld' _when your own daughter was being kidnapped by her so-called friends?

I huffed and crossing my hands over my chest, turned towards the window. Green rushed by, as we drove out of my suburban neighborhood. I stared out of the car with butterflies in my stomach, but still too stubborn to admit that. I mean-honestly! What the _hell _was I supposed to go and tell Danny? _Oh hi, Danny! I just wanted to say that because I can't quite get over my ex-fiancé yet, I want to start dating you!_

Oh yeah, I'd be lucky if he laughed into my face. Seriously, was this what my friends had expected from me?

"Oh stop being such a grump," Laura muttered, breaking the silence. She kept her eyes steady on the clear road in front of her, not looking at me. "If that Dawn girl wasn't enough . . ."

I pouted and rolled my eyes. Turning to my more sensible friend, I tried to explain my situation with the best of my ability. "I am not doing this." Well _that_ came out pretty well. My skills of elaborating were at an expert level.

The dark-haired girl shook her head slightly before shrugging her shoulders. She stopped the car at the traffic lights and readjusted the straps on her tank top. "It appears to me that you are, darling."

"This isn't fair," I told her with a sulk. "I'm going to come back probably punched in the face."

My friend found this amusing. Was it just me, or was everyone entertained at the fact that I was going to embarrass my ass off? _Yeah_, it was definitely just me. Laura laughed, and the traffic lights flashed green, making us another step closer to the moment of confrontation. "He's not gonna do _that_."

"I don't even know a single thing to say when I get there!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air. "When I agreed to your plan, I didn't know that I was going to be _telling him face to face_ so 'effing soon! I thought I would have some time to plan, to analyze . . ."

"This ain't an English essay, May," the dark-eyed girl told me with a snicker. "Planning and analyzing ain't gonna get you nowhere. Just tell him what you want him to be."

I blew my bangs away from my forehead as we got closer and closer to the park. When Dawn heard about this new plan; she instantly called Danny and told him that I had something important to tell him. She also arranged the entire thing. He would get to Hawthorn Park first, I would arrive _"fashionably" _late, we would sit on a bench overlooking that tiny stream and then I would tell him what I wanted. All the while Laura was looking of course. Dawn couldn't afford everything to blow up. Not after her little adventure with her boss.

Of course, I could also arrive there "_fashionably" _late as planned, wait until Laura turns her back and run for my dignity.

The idea seemed tempting enough for me to actually do it.

Before _he _popped into my mind. Drew, with his pretty little _new _girlfriend, enjoying his life. Forgetting about all what happened with that previous piece of trash, otherwise known as me. Who knows? This girl might have even been his second or third girl that he's gotten since the whole thing with me.

And that thought drove me to do what I may have _never_ done otherwise. Little did I know that everything would go wrong.

I shouldn't have ever opened my mouth.

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Author's Note:

Please, please, please, _please_ REVIEW.

I'd give you cookies. :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAD IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS :D **ily.**

Sorry it turned out short, and utter crap. I haven't written in so long. -.-; I'm getting a little frayed.

-_Suzie x_

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_Edited: 4th September '10_


	4. You and Me

Author's Note: Here is the 4th addition to Blue Ersatz! :) I have great fun writing this story—because it's one of those ones that I really can just let my fingers fly over the keyboard and write up exactly what I'm thinking. I have so much ideas for this! :D

I hope you enjoy this chapter! Hopefully it'll be better than chapter 3—which was just horrid. LOL

Thank you so much for the reviews! I never expected that many for this one. xD **ily all! **(:

**I posted this chapter at first-but the FF system of sending emails to "alert" the users of the chapter was down-and so I took it down. Now it's up again. :3**

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| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

_4  
"**Y**ou and **M**e"_

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

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_"One of the things that I want to say, just aren't coming out right. I'm tripping on words, you got my head spinning, I don't know where to go from here."_

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T A U R U S:

(April 20 - May 20)

Today will bring new adventures-be willing to step outside your more quiet nature. Don't be risk-averse-it's time to seize what you want. Others may be nervous with this new you, but stay the course and they will come to appreciate you more.

_

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_

I wanted to go for the record by saying that I had a perfectly good reason for running away like this. Laura had parked the car at the gate of the park and before she could drag me to meet Danny; her little phone started to scream for attention. It was probably either Dawn checking up on me or her on-off boyfriend, Matt Digiovanni. Whichever it was, I wasn't going to be sitting around, waiting for her to finish chatting to lead me towards my sealed fate. I mean; come _on_! It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance that I had to take!

So I ran. Just as Laura was getting into a heated argument with Matt. Turned out that it was him after all. I ran as fast as my clumsy way-too-high heels would let me. Which wasn't much speed. Not to say that I would go pretty fast if I were wearing the best running shoes in the world. But that was another story.

It was hard to run in a dress and heels and not look utterly stupid-as well getting stared at by random cyclers in the park. Don't bump into the trees, boys.

In the little bit of conscience I had in my brain at that moment, I knew I was probably doing the wrong thing. I shouldn't have been running away like that. Not when my entire _life_ of agonizing over an ex could be changed. But it was a "spur of the moment" kind of thing and I just couldn't resist the urge.

I was nearing the big metal gates, about to run out of the park and hide somewhere-when I saw something that made the air whoosh out of my lungs as if somebody had punched me in the guts. I'll give a hint as to what it was that made me feel this way. As much as I know you'd all like it to be (not to say _I _would mind either); it _wasn't_ someone with green hair.

"May! Hey!"

Oh _crap_; I thought to myself with a silent groan. So there you go. Try as I might; I just couldn't escape Danny. I guess either fate really wanted to humiliate me that day or I was destined to be with Danny. Well in the end, it all came down to the same thing anyway. _I would have to confess._

The sandy-haired man stared at me with a queer look on his face. Like he had seen something that was out-of-the-world hilarious but couldn't laugh out loud. I guessed that something was me. But I really didn't understand why though. So I let it pass my mind.

He was just entering the park, while I was trying to get far, far away from it. Excellent. And I thought _I_ had to be the one to arrive "fashionably late". Well Dawn, the guy beat me to it. Danny held a bouquet of white lilies in his hand and twirled his car keys in the other. He wore a clean and pressed white shirt with jeans. I wondered what the flowers were for.

I paused for a second to catch my breath. I was already trapped. Might as well try to calm myself down. I'd admit, I wasn't exactly the best runner in the universe. Let's _not _go back to high school—when I was tricked by my enemy into joining the track team. Oh boy. Since then I have completely _detested_ the sport—if it was even considered to be one. Would that explain why I was puffing for my dear life just because I ran a little less than fifty meters?

"H-hi." I was still breathless. Not from the run anymore though. No, no—it was Danny's eyes that sped up my heart-rate. I couldn't get over how perfect and warm they were. Pardon me for emphasizing so much on the detail. But they were far too surreal for me not to.

Danny chuckled and one of his brows arched up. "What? Are you trying to jog around in the park with . . . _those _shoes?"

"Uh." I swallowed. Think of something smart, May! "Actually, yes I was. I love to run. And running in heels . . . _strengthens _your tendons. I read it somewhere."

I stood up as straight as I could in my wobbly heels and grinned.

"If it doesn't tear them first." Danny shook his head and laughed. "You're an odd one May." Then he looked as if he just remembered something. "Oh, did you say you loved to run?"

I bit my lip and breathed out: "Yeah."

Danny looked impressed. Oh no, no, no! What had I gotten myself into _this_ time? "Really? It just so happens that I love to run too!" he exclaimed, looking really excited. "I could have never guessed that you ran, May-o. You don't seem like the type." With that he smiled. "Maybe we could jog together in the morning or something."

"U-um." I stuttered, not knowing what to reply. He looked so keen on this—and I _had _just told him that I loved to run. When it was the complete opposite. What do I do now? Tell him that I said a lie to save my dignity? Or would that just make things worse? I figured it was most likely to be the latter. So I smiled. "Sounds . . ._ great_."

"Awesome." He grinned, before handing out the bouquet of lilies over to me. "I got these for you."

Oh, oh. Charming, are we? So the flowers were for _me. _I accepted the blossoms gratefully and stared down at them. The sweet and light scent of the flowers was enticing. The blossoms were fresh and blooming and they really were beautiful. Well . . . this was certainly a change after receiving red roses and nothing but. White lilies were . . . pretty. Although the roses might have been more romantic. Oh, what was I saying anyway? I should be thankful of his thoughtfulness rather than comparing every little thing to Drew.

"Earth to May?"

A good-natured laugh suddenly caused me to wake up from my thoughts. I looked up with a quirk of my brow and stared into the big brown eyes that held confusion. I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." I cleared my throat, remembering my manners. "And thanks for the flowers! They're lovely."

He beamed, quickly tangling his fingers in the belt-loops and tipped on the edge of his feet. "Glad you like them."

For a moment though, I was beginning to believe that Laura was right. Maybe Danny _did_ like me. Oh, that would make things so much easier!

We looked at each other in silence. I guess he was probably wondering why he was here—and I wasn't to blame him. I mean—I had absolutely _no_ idea what Dawn had told him on the phone. Suddenly it occurred to me that I probably looked like a mess. Just like I always did when I run. My hair was everywhere, my dress was crooked and my knees were shaking in those six-inch heels. Yeah, that probably was why he had that look in his eyes when he first saw me.

"Um." I started to break the ice. But before I could do that, I heard the sound of somebody calling out my name and whipped around. I faced Laura jogging up to us. But unlike me—she wasn't puffing by the time she got to me. Laura had always been a star athlete. And me? Not so much.

"Where the hell have you been?" she asked me with a scowl on her face. "I turn away for _one _second and you were gone. Gosh, May! Were you trying to run away or somethin'?"

I squeaked. Oh Lord. _Danny is right behind me, Laura! _"Erm . . ." I gave her the "Look", hoping that she would actually get it. Confusion crisscrossed over Laura's face before she looked over my shoulder. And her eyes widened. Just like I had expect them to.

"Oops."

* * *

"So what was it that you wanted to tell me, May? Dawn told me over the phone that it was something important—but I just couldn't figure out what it is."

I stared down at my cup of decaf coffee. There was the moment of truth coming up. So where were we? Laura had quickly apologized and then left us to ourselves. It was kind of awkward after her . . . not-so-slight interruption, but Danny quickly suggested that we go talk somewhere else. He recommended the nearest Starbucks from the park—and so there we were. After getting the orders; I guess I really couldn't stall anymore.

I didn't move my eyes away from the cup of steaming hot liquid. "It's just really stupid . . ."

"Stupid is good." I looked up with a confused expression and he smiled gently with a shrug. "You know," the brown-haired man said thoughtfully. "There are _thousands_ of people out there wondering whether what they have to say is stupid or not. But when they finally say it—they find out that all the hesitations were for nothing."

I returned the smile and looked down at my coffee again. "That's deep."

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "So . . . the point is: let it out. Unburden yourself. I swear I won't think you're stupid."

I sighed, biting my lower lip. Oh _God._ My heart was beating so loudly and my fingertips were growing colder by the second. I suddenly remembered my horoscope for the week which I read earlier that day in the magazine. "_It's time to seize what you want_." I guess it really was time. Drew had found someone else. Why would _I _still hang on to something that was . . . gone? Gone like a cool breeze in the middle of a heat storm.

It was time to seize what I wanted. I glanced up at the waiting face of Danny Parker. "You've heard about my . . . _ex-_fiancé, yeah?"

He blinked, baffled a little I guess. But nonetheless, he complied. "Yeah . . . Max was talking about him the other day at the pizza place, right?" When I nodded, Danny tilted his head a little to the side. "So, what _about _him?"

I ran my tongue across my lips that had suddenly gone dry. My fingers closed in on the Starbucks cup, absorbing the warm heat it gave out. "Well . . . you might as well know that I haven't really gotten over him yet."

"Did you really love him?"

I blinked. "Yeah . . ." I whispered and then sighed. "A lot of people warned me that he wasn't good for me. But—but I didn't believe them. I guess that's what all girls feel when a 'bad boy' shows interest in them . . . She believes that her love can, well, _change_ him. And I'm so stupid—but I still feel that way. That he'll be coming back for me someday."

He nodded slowly, still taking in the information. His brown eyes glanced up and looked into mine with reassurance, before whispering: "I can tell."

I was surprised at that. He could? How? Danny seemed to have read my expression because he began to explain himself. "You're a beautiful girl, May. And I'm sure there are thousands of guys out there that want to date you. Somehow I noticed that you must be single all these years because of some ex." He then shrugged, pulling his lips together. "I guess I was right."

My heart rate sped up. Did he just—in some indirect way—call me beautiful? Okay, maybe this discussion _was_ leading somewhere. Taking advantage of a sudden bold moment—I blurted out: "Are _you_ in it?"

Now it was his turn to be confused. "What?"

I clenched my fist so tight that my nails dug into my skin. Butterflies flapped wildly in my stomach. "Are you one of those '_thousands' _of guys that want to date me?"

Danny looked up from sipping the black espresso. His movement was so immediate that the coffee almost spilled a little. I winced. That couldn't possibly be a good sign. _Oh God_, help me. "May, are you suggesting—"

"I'm sorry," I murmured, cutting him off. "I . . . I just want to get rid of this love-sick feeling that I still have for him. I don't know! I-I always had this hero-worship kind of thing for you . . ."

I broke off my pointless blabber, feeling so humiliated that I wanted to cry. Danny was still silent. He looked so deep in thought that I began to grow really scared. And really embarrassed. Please say something; I felt myself thinking as the seconds ticked by. Silent treatment was the worst thing in the world.

After a moment, Danny looked up. His chocolate eyes were glazed and he said softly: "You must really trust me, May."

I looked away with a sniff, but he still continued to speak. "I mean—after all that heartbreak . . . Aren't you scared that you'll get hurt again?"

I stared down at my lap. I felt sick. Like throwing up. I felt as if the walls were starting to close in. Nausea swept over me again. "I-I am. But there's nothing more horrible than what I'm suffering from now. Even if it's only for a minute—I want to get rid of that feeling. I know it's probably too much of me to ask. But can you help me, Danny?" I breathed out. "Please?"

He looked into my eyes. And then smiled. So gently but yet so surreal. "I'm not sure if I'm able to heal broken hearts." Danny whispered softly and reached out to take my hand. "But I'll try my best not to make it worst. Okay?"

I was left speechless. Absolutely speechless. I almost felt like a ton of bricks were eased off of my shoulders. So light . . . But I still could feel that not all the bricks were entirely gone yet. It'll come; I thought to myself. This was the first step anyway.

Tears started to spring into my eyes. I nodded eagerly and laughed, blinking them away. "_Thank you_."

Danny looked at me, his face showing sincerity. An earnest smile plastered onto his face and he brushed some hair away from his eyes. "Glad to help." Then he diverted his gaze, releasing my hand with a laugh. "Well, you wanna get going?"

I nodded and stood up; wiping my eyes carefully as not to smear the eye-makeup that Dawn had so skillfully applied. I grasped the white lilies in one hand and the other taking Danny's—we walked out of the bustling place. I guess I was too caught up to notice—but there were sure a whole lot of people. Danny was talking about an incident at his work, and I nodded along as we reached the glass door.

Suddenly, somebody barged in the door, bumping me hard in the process. I held onto a pole to keep my balance. Pain jolted down my side. "Ow! Watch where you're going!" I exclaimed and glared at that person—only to catch sight of a lean figure in a black sweatshirt, his head covered with the hood. He was walking away, with his back to us. Completely ignoring the fact that he had just bumped into me.

"Some people are just bastards." Danny rolled his eyes and looked at me. "Are you all right?"

Rubbing my shoulder, I frowned. "Yeah." My head tilted at the sight of something on the floor. It was folded, leather, and black. And it was just the same place where that person had been. I reached down to pick it up, my eyes searching for the black-hoodie guy. To see about a thousand of people wearing the same attire.

"Come on May," Danny said, obviously not noticing my finding. He was already out on the road. "Let's go."

I nodded, slipping the wallet into my bag and stepped out of the glass door, joining his side. As we walked through the busy street, curiosity got to me and I discreetly opened my bag—taking out the folded leather wallet. Opening it, my eyes traveled to the ID card. And there; I found something that made my heart skip a beat. Because there, in that little white card was a name I knew so, _so_ well.

_State: Wictownshire City_

_Date of Birth: February 12__th__ 1983_

_Name: Andrew Hayden_

_

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_

Author's Note: Can you believe that I actually _felt_ pretty much what I described May to feel in that moment of confrontation with Danny?

I almost cried and this nausea drove me nuts. I got _so_ deep into the story! How cool is that!

Anyway, review! Please and thank you. :3

_-Suzie x_

_

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_

_Edited: 4th September '10_


	5. When It All Falls Apart

A/N: Eee~ :] A new chapter for _Blue Ersatz!_ Thank you all so very much for the reviews! This story isn't one of the ones that I take very seriously, but it's nice to know that you all like it! (: Keep on reviewing, everyone! It keeps me going.

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| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

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"**W**hen it all **F**alls **A**part"  
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_-SuzieQuaKes-_

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_"Everything is eff-ed up, straight from the heart. Tell me what do you do, when it all falls apart?" _

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In my entire life, I had imagined love would come easy to me. You know the usual Prince Charming meets Cinderella? The fast heads over heels love that stroke like lightning, leading to quick marriage and a happy ever after. Maybe all girls were like me when they were young: spending summer days lying on the front porch, watching the clouds and the sky, all the while secretly hoping that a boy would walk up and say "_What are you doing here, all alone?" _Maybe they imagined dancing without any music and kissing in a blizzard. Or maybe they dreamed of a bad boy, secretly hoping that as summer ended, her love and the cold air would rush his hard heart away.

I certainly did.

It was all in vain though. There weren't any kind of _nice_ boys in my neighborhood and there were few moving in's. When new people _did_ move, they were all usually old and retired with grown up children. I came to realize that life didn't turn like it did in fairytales. I learned to forget about all the dreams because sometimes forgetting is easier on the heart.

Bur now . . . now when I _least _expected it—fate decided to bring me Drew's wallet. I saw it as a kind of foreshadow. A foreshadowing that soon Drew _would_ sooner or later, be making a grand appearance back into my life. I mean—how clear could it get? He would obviously notice that he lost his card and in some 'Drew' way of his, find out that _I _had it and then come walking back like nothing had ever occurred between us.

I know, I know. Nonsense. But life was usually nonsense anyway.

_"You should call him."_ Dawn's advice came ringing back into my mind as I stared at his card. There was a little piece of paper in his wallet with his personal information. I guessed it was for when he should lose his wallet the way he did right now. His number was scribbled there. All I had to do was to grab my phone and punch in those ten numbers. I kept on reconsidering the idea. I could be all cool and aloof. You know—like I only called because I _had_ to. I could act as if I had already moved on . . . _or_ maybe I could even act like I _forgot_ him. Sort of like "_Andrew Hayden_—_who_?"

I smiled to myself. I liked that idea. It could work . . . and if it did, he would definitely be sure of the fact that I was over him. Regardless of whether or not that was really true. I reached for my cell-phone, proud of myself for the idea. (_303) 534-7880_ went into the rectangular neon screen with a few beeps. He had changed his number—that I knew of. I had his old number carefully stored in my brain.

My heart was pumping hard as the dial tone rang on. I was pretty confident with my idea of sounding aloof—sort of like Princess Diana in her photo shoots. All smiling, chin tucked in, hands folded, looking completely sure of herself.

"_Hello?"_

A female answered. I was so not expecting that! Was she his . . . girlfriend? A pang of jealously slipped through my heart. _Come on, May_; I chided myself. _You have Danny too, you know_. The voice on the other end repeated the 'hello'. I took it as a cue to start speaking.

"Um, hi there. May I speak to . . ." I paused for the effect. To make it sound like I had to glance down at the card to remember his name. "Andrew Hayden?"

"You mean Drew? Sure! But who is this, exactly?" the woman's voice was soft and melodic. The jealously grew.

"Oh I'm just somebody who picked up his wallet at a Starbucks." It was better not to reveal my name.

"Oh, oh!" Her voice was genuinely surprised. A mixture of surprise and amusement, to be precise. She laughed a little in pleasure. "That's excellent. Drew's been freaking out, literally, because he lost his wallet. He has some important pictures, you see. Anyway I think I'm talking too much!" The woman laughed again. "My name's Posy. I'm Drew's . . . friend."

I knew that pause that women did. They do it to sort of say "_I'm his girlfriend but I don't want to make it seem obvious!" _I was right, I concluded to myself. He had a new girlfriend now.

"It's nice to meet you." I said cautiously. I was still not going to reveal my name yet. "Can I speak to . . . Drew?"

"Of course! Sorry. I've been known to speak irrelevantly. He's having a shower, but I'll go and knock. Please wait, all right?"

"Sure."

I sat down at my desk chair. From downstairs I could hear the sounds of Max and my parents talking about something on TV and laughing. A commercial was on at full blare. Suddenly I remembered what that woman had said: _Drew was taking a shower_. Now, I knew that it didn't seem like anything important at first sight . . . but it meant that they were _living together_. Because people don't usually shower when their girlfriend was over for a visit . . . not unless they had done something rendezvous. The thought made me shudder.

"Hey."

Oh crap. Crap, crap, crap! It was him. How could I not remember that voice? That deep and husky voice that brought me goose-bumps. I panicked. The thought of acting like Princess Diana vanished. "I-I have your wallet!" Oh my God, how straightforward could I get?

"What? No hello?" A chuckle came from the other end. Drew hadn't changed. Charming, self-assured, confident—everything that I clearly wasn't. Mr. Vegas, I used to teasingly call him because of his effortless Rat Pack charm. He was the sort of guy that everybody was drawn to—men, women, children, dogs and even cats.

. . . Bastard.

It took me a while for my brain to register that I was actually on the phone with Drew Hayden again. That we were _connected_ by a mere telephone line. When I didn't reply, Drew talked again. "Anyway, Posy told me you're a chick that found my wallet?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oops. My bad. I know girls don't dig being referred to as chicks. Anyway where can we meet?"

I opened my mouth. And closed it again. "W-what? Meet?" I hadn't thought of that. How would I feel, just seeing him again and talking to him—face to face? How would _he_ feel? What would happen? Too much questions.

"Um, yeah. You have to give me back my wallet you know. I had exactly six hundred dollars in there. Hopefully none is missing."

His tone was amused. There was something about how Drew talked exactly. A mixture of sharp wit, arrogance and humor. I suddenly got angry. "I didn't even touch your money, thank you very much."

A laugh responded before it broke off thoughtfully. There was some hesitance in his voice when he spoke again. "God, your voice is so familiar. I think we've met before . . . I think I remember you . . ."

My heart sped faster. He remembered! Or _thought_ he remembered. Blood rushed to my face, making it throb with heat. "You should, Andrew Hayden. You should."

"Wait! Don't tell me!" Drew's voice held the eagerness of an eight year old wanting to go the supermarket with his mom. I could feel his smirk on the other end. "Um . . . Kathy! Right?"

. . . _What?_ I hadn't expected that at all. How rejected I felt. He didn't remember me. He really didn't remember my voice. He wasn't pretending like _I _had planned to do—he was being serious. It was as if we really weren't engaged before. "No," I managed to choke out.

"Shit, no? Wait!" He was still eager. It broke my heart. The remains of it anyway. "Jane? Wait . . . no, she's way out in Mexico. Britney? Daniela?"

I coughed awkwardly. I was really _that_ special, wasn't I? He didn't even remember my voice. I decided to save him the suspense of guessing. Bye-bye, Princess Diana. "May. My name's May. It's nice to meet you, Drew."

A silence came on the other end. An uncomfortable silence—one that was filled with demur. He was probably trying to remember who the hell I was. And when he did remember, he would think back of the time he called off the wedding and smirk to himself. That was Drew, no doubt about it. "May?" his voice was soft now. The confident and charming prince was gone. "Oh my God . . . _May Maple_?"

I waited for the shock and anger to writhe inside me. I expected to feel mad, to feel angry, to swear at him for calling off everything, for shattering my heart with a mere phone call and then disappearing off the face of earth. Instead, there was only an oddly hollowed out feeling. Perhaps I had been expecting it all along. Perhaps I _knew _that he would list all the girls that he's been intimate with, perhaps I _knew _that I would have to tell him my name in order for him to remember. Maybe we weren't just meant to be.

Right at that moment, my bladder throbbed. I swallowed. "I have to pee," I finally said and clicked off the phone. I stared at it for a second, in my hand before rushing to the bathroom.

I held my posture, walking stiffly out of my room and turning to the little curve where the bathroom was. I didn't run into any member of my family like I was expecting. Silently I entered the bathroom, closed the door softly and flicked on the lights. When I reached the sink—_that _was when the crying began. I held back from sobbing but my vision blurred with my tears and my face soon became a puffy, red and disgusting sight. I blew my nose hard into rough toilet paper.

When I had finally calmed myself down, my bladder throbbed again. It was no lie when I told Drew that I had to pee. Suddenly I regretted that more than anything. I wished I had the poise and quickness of mind to think up a Dorothy Parker quip.

_"I have to pee_."

It had to be the worst exit line in the history of scorned women.

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We finally met at the same Starbucks that he dropped his wallet, Drew and I. He called me back and we shared an awkward, fast-paced conversation. (_"Come to the same place at twelve tomorrow?" "Yes, sure." "See you there." "See you.") _I hurriedly left the boutique at lunch time, telling Laura that I owed her one. She really didn't like the idea of Drew coming back into my life just like that—but I promised her that after that little meeting we were sure never to cross paths again.

I drove there myself, borrowing Laura's car. The roads were pretty jam packed with traffic and I was unsure whether or not I would get there in time. But I dismissed the idea of calling him to inform about the traffic. For all I knew, he could pretty much be in the same situation that I was. And aside from that, I didn't want to be the one calling him. Knowing Drew, he might think that I was trying to find an excuse to ring him up—and that was definitely _not _the case.

My eyes flicked over to the red numbers lit on the dashboard clock. If I got there right at this minute, I'd be only five minutes late. Unfortunately, the coffee shop was two miles away and the traffic had slowed down to a crawl.

My cell phone started to sing—"Dancing Queen" by ABBA—and I fished around in my purse for the tiny silver phone, trying not to drive off the road as I did so. I finally grabbed a hold of it, checked the caller ID, and smiled when I saw who it was—Danny. Ever since the quite awkward confessions the other day, he had called me regularly through his tight schedule. I hadn't told him about my reencounter with my previous fiancé. It was just extra information that he needn't to know.

"Hey Danny." I answered the phone call with a stressed cheeriness. I didn't want him to know that I was sort of, kind of, a little bit, _freaking out_ about seeing and talking to my ex fiancé face-to-face once again. I didn't want to even imagine how awkward the situation would be.

"How you doing, May-o?"

I had to grin at his voice. So relaxed, so carefree and always friendly. "Pretty fine. Just bored at the boutique." Okay, so that was a half-truth. Or full lie. Whatever.

"Me too."

"Oh, really?" I smiled and used a teasing tone. "You're bored out of your mind, sitting at the wooden counter at Blessed Blue too?"

To that Danny laughed. I always loved to hear his laugh. It was so _warm_ and never failed to make you want to smile as well. "You know what I mean. Man, your dad never gives us a break! I'm calling you in the bathroom, by the way."

I was about to reply before a Ford Explorer zipped in front of me, nearly hitting Laura's red station wagon as it did so.

"Shit!" I cried on, stomping on the break. "Ugh! Asshole!"

"What was that?"

Oh no! I thought to myself in despair as I pulled back into the road again. Did I just give myself away? Now Danny would surely think of me as a lying idiot. How wonderful was _that_!

"Um. Sorry." I racked my brain to think of an excuse on why I would randomly swear like that while sitting at Blessed Blue. "I accidently pricked myself with a needle while sewing on a blue heart."

"What?" Danny repeated. His voice sounded far, far away—like he was taking at the end of a cave. "I'm sorry, sweetheart; I think the line is breaking. Do you want to call me back later? I have a meeting in a few minutes."

Oh dear Lord. I was saved! What a rejoicing thought. _Thank you, telephone line;_ I thought to myself. The first time I had ever thanked a bad line. "Okay. Don't overwork yourself. See you later!"

The line went dead and I heaved a sigh of relief, throwing the phone onto the passenger seat. There you go. I wouldn't be facing up to my bad conscious . . . _yet_.

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I got that squirmy-stomach feeling when I walked into the coffee shop that afternoon. Each step I took was bringing me closer to the moment of my confrontation, to the moment with Drew Hayden. I took a few deep breaths to center myself and then searched for a table with the green-haired man. It wasn't too hard to do. There weren't many people I knew who possessed the odd color.

He was seated at a table near the window. He looked thoughtful and with a whisk of sunlight half bathing his face, he looked idealistic—like a poet or writer or some sort of dreamer. As I approached him, I noticed that he _wasn't _lost in thought like it appeared to be at first sight. He was staring down at his little Blackberry—rapidly texting somebody. With a wry smile, I betted a million dollars to myself that whoever he was texting was a girl.

I hovered over the table, not sitting down yet. An oddly cold feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I was trembling, I knew it. Finally, he looked up from letting his fingers dance over the small keyboard. A little piece of me died inside. His green eyes were just the way that I left them: bright, full of color and beautiful.

An awkward grimace of a smile crossed over his face. I could see that he was trying to remain polite. He set the phone down on the table and stood up with a grace matched by no other. His hair fell softly over his face as he did so.

"Hi May."

I stared at him. Since we were over, Drew had unmistakably stumbled onto somebody else's fashion taste. Gone were the plain-front khakis, the neatly trimmed green hair, and the quintessential 'good but bad' boy that most women were drawn to at first sight. Now his clothes looked expensively hip, and his hair was slightly on the longish side. A soft-looking black jacket embraced his lean body and he had on jeans that were torn at the knee. The little bit tanned skin revealing there made me want to swoon. I wanted to rub my face against that jacket. God! What was _wrong _with me?

"Hey."

I wasn't sure what the greeting protocol was supposed to be, and I could tell by the way Drew was clasping his hands together that he didn't know either. Were we supposed to hug? To exchange cheek kisses—_mwah, mwah_—like a pair of socialites? Maybe I should have written up _Miss Etiquette _at the Cosmo magazine for behavior guidelines on greeting your ex fiancé after two years.

_Dear Nervous Dreamer_, I imagined her reply. _What a trying situation! But now, more than ever, Miss Etiquette would stress the importance of conducting yourself gracefully. To wit: it is always socially acceptable to clasp hands in a firm and congenial handshake. Do not feel it necessary to engage in an unnecessary kissing and grappling._

I stuck my hand out awkwardly, and Drew just stared at it long enough to make me feel like an idiot. But just as I was withdrawing my hand—_stupid _Miss Etiquette—Drew grabbed it and swung our arms between us. The touch was intimate enough for me to feel butterflies in my stomach.

Was there anything weirder than shaking hands with the man who once promised to love, honor and cherish you for the rest of his life?

"Thanks for coming." Drew gave me that uncomfortable smile again before releasing my hand and pocketing his. He motioned to the seat in front of him and then sat down himself. I awkwardly took the seat.

"Would you like anything? Coffee?" he motioned to his own steaming paper cup. "For once the place isn't packed."

"No thanks. I had lunch." I nervously moistened my lips and ran my hands to smooth the satin skirt that I was wearing. "Um. How have you been?"

"Good. I'm a sales manager now."

I nodded to that piece of information—not surprised at all. Drew had always been a top salesman—another justification to prove that he was full of shit. I felt the awkward silence set in again. Quickly I dug out his wallet from my purse and pushed it across to his side of the table. "Here's your wallet."

Drew accepted it gratefully and ran a finger across the smooth leather. Was this over? I thought to myself. I had given back his wallet. Do we go our separate ways now?

"It's such a big coincidence, May," Drew said, finally starting to talk. He stared into my eyes and I looked away. I didn't want to get mesmerized. "I mean—you finding my wallet and everything? I'd never have guessed that in a million years this would happen."

"Me neither. Quite a surprise, huh?" My tone was bitter. I hated how cold he was forcing me to become. "Now that you're back in town, Drew Hayden—would you mind telling me what your reason was to call off the wedding at the last moment?"

Drew looked stricken; like a deer caught under headlights. He snapped out of it a second later and musingly sipped his cup of coffee. "I told you, May. I couldn't handle that type of commitment yet."

"Then why the hell did you ask me to marry you? Why did you wait until the day of the wedding to cancel it? Why Drew? Why?" My voice cracked as I croaked out all the questions that I had been wondering of all my life.

He sighed, placing a hand to his head and looking as if he had just witnessed a mind boggling headache. "I'm sorry, May."

"Sorry isn't enough!" I yelled and caused almost the entire shop to look my way. Tears were now falling freely down my face. "Do you _know_ how much humiliation you caused me? Do you know how _hurt _I was? Do you even _care_?"

"May, you have to calm down." The calm and cool façade faded off of his face. He now seemed pale, sickly and old. "I'm sorry. I really am. I . . . I just . . . There's a good reason why I had to leave."

"Mind telling me?" I sniffed into a Starbucks napkin. My thin voice sounded desperate—even to my ears.

"I . . . I can't . . . I really can't, May."

"Drew Hayden! You are such an asshole! You left me on the day of our wedding and you can't even bother to tell me _why?_ How low can you get?" I couldn't control myself anymore. I was such a train wreck. All too different from the collected and calm Drew.

He had his eyes closed now. It seemed like he was thinking these over in his head. Finally he opened his eyes, the bright green looking stressed.

"I had to leave this town, May. I had to. I . . . I'm a criminal."

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Author's Note: Haha, I decided to be evil and cut it off at that. (: You'll find out soon enough what he meant by "criminal".

So, what did you think? It really didn't take me much time to write this—about two days. I don't know how I write so fast but when I get myself into a story I can't seem to tear myself away from it. I don't know whether that's good or bad; good in terms of updating and bad in terms of school chores. A lot of homework piled on my desk. :x Oops.

Please review! I love each and every one of you that does. :] Now what could be better than getting Suzie's love? LOL. ;)

_-Suzie x_

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Edited: 4th September '10_


	6. Everything Changes

Author's Note: Hi. (: A new chapter, that's right. A little bit of sunshine falling upon my inspiration at the moment. Couldn't _bear_ to lose it. :] Sorry it took so long to be up. I wrote it a long time ago, and then I wasn't very satisfied with the quality so I had to write it again.

**Thank you all so, so much for the reviews and love. I can't even begin to express how thankful I am for them. I am so terribly sorry that I hadn't the time to reply. Blame my school. :)**

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"**E**verything **C**hanges"_

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

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_"I am the mess you chose, the closet you cannot close. The devil in you, I suppose, 'cause the wounds never heal." _

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"_I . . . I'm a criminal."_

The tiny bombshell repeated itself in my head. _What. The. Hell?_ I still couldn't get myself to grasp the bolt from the blue that Drew Hayden had just thrown at me. He was probably born with the natural talent of surprising people with things he said. I mean—honestly? What else did he had left in his sleeve? What about informing me that he had adopted a pet monkey and named it Banana? I suddenly spluttered with laughter at the thought of Drew with a monkey on his shoulder.

Drew coughed into his hand, making me fall back into the present moment again. His green eyes sparkled a little and I was reminded of the grimness of the situation. I shouldn't have really thought of the monkey thing at a time like that. I didn't know what was _wrong_ with me. Silently, Drew gave me a little look and flicked his hair away from his _disgustingly perfect _face. Wow. What an amazing oxymoron. My English teacher would have been proud.

"I've always known you were bonkers." With a little smirk, he gazed at me from across the coffee table.

Humor eventually died out of me. A flicker of anger scampered across my stomach. Sometimes I wished I was brave enough to punch him and ruin his pride and joy; A.K.A: _his face. _Unfortunately, at that moment I was too stricken with shock to even think of a proper comeback. I mean seriously? First he told me one of the most _unexpected _news and then he turned to the smug and arrogant Drew I knew and lov—no, not loved. _Shut up, Voice of Devil._

"_You're _bonkers." I felt so stupid after the words left my lips. Drew arched one of his brows and smirked more, as if to say "_ha-ha" _like that Nelson from _The Simpsons_. Why were all these irrelevant thoughts filling up my mind? I moistened my lips quickly and played with my fingers, never quite looking into his eyes. I had to get back to the more important subject. "You're a criminal. A criminal of what? Deception?"

"News flash one-oh-one of the day. People can't hear you if you murmur like that."

I rolled my eyes. He was still avoiding the damn confession that I had been waiting for! That imbecile bastard. We had kind of strayed away from the topic—especially after those thoughts about the monkey and _The Simpsons_. He really wasn't going to be explaining himself anytime soon. I had to speak. I needed a freaking rational reason for why he was a criminal, for heaven's sake.

With the sudden burst of adrenaline, I looked up into his deep, deep eyes and found myself struggling not to drown in them. Natural beauty like that shouldn't exist. I swear to God. His perfect, perfect face made me get even madder. Why was he like this? Why did he have to make me feel so much like a young little school girl . . . in love?

"Oh my God Drew! What are you waiting for? A neon flashing light telling you that it's time for you tell me the goddamn truth?" I couldn't help but shout like that. The people in here already thought we were crazy anyway. "Why did you run off like that? Why are you back here again? Oh screw it, Drew! Why the hell should I even believe a word you say?"

"You don't believe me." What he said was a statement, a bold one. It wasn't a question, it wasn't a matter of shock or confusion—it was a firm announcement. I found graveness finally settle into those eyes that were filled with smugness and amusement just moments earlier. So he _could_ be serious when the matter called for it. There was a slight pause before he redeemed talking again with another of his short statements. "I didn't expect you to."

I breathed out through my nose and pressed my lips together. So . . ._ what?_ Was he lying when he said he was a criminal? Was that a poorly created excuse thought of at the spot? There just was too much mysteriousness underlying Andrew Hayden and it was difficult for my poor brain to find the answers to the questions at that moment. I decided to be frank with him. "Thank you for your honesty."

Drew sighed and threw his hands up in the air. Talk about drama. I could tell that he was already fed up with the present situation. Well that was just too bad for him. It wasn't like I was any less pissed off. "What do you want me to say, May?"

I looked at him for a slight second before grabbing my hand bag and standing up. He just couldn't understand. Stupid Drew. What else would I want him to say rather than the freaking _truth_? Of course I was afraid that the ultimate truth would hurt badly, but I just wanted to know the real reason why he canceled the wedding. Now that he obviously wasn't going to be telling me the truth that I want, I guess it was better that I left.

"Nothing." I breathed out. It was over again. This little meeting had been fun, Drew Hayden. Now it was time for goodbye. "I don't want you to say anything."

With that last word, I turned from him and started to walk away. As I had been secretly hoping—he called my name after the fifth step my heels took.

"Don't walk away now."

I quirked around to see Drew, for the first time not looking very sure of himself. The rare side of Drew that always made me feel special when I saw it. It wasn't to say that it didn't tug on my heart even now—despite how much I was _over _him. He was staring down at the sun-bathed table, and his face was half basked in the sunlight and half in the shadows. I felt myself soften even more. "Why?" I whispered. "What difference does it make now?"

"A lot." He looked up at me and then motioned his chin to the seat that I had just gotten up from. "Sit back down and I'll explain everything to you. Starting from the very beginning."

I weighed out the pros and cons on the spot. Of course curiosity got the best of me. They always say curiosity got the cat. Hastily I took steps back towards the table. When I finally sat down again, he started to talk.

"First things first; I was telling you the truth. I _am_ a criminal." Almost reluctantly, Drew glanced around the little café where people were starting to thin out as lunch hour passed. As if reassured at the sight that nobody really was paying attention to our conversation—he spoke again.

"I . . . I needed a false mask of some sort in order to carry out the deed that I came here to do. A criminal needs to do a few things to get rid of suspicion, May. So I took a new job and dated a girl to prove that I'm a regular sort of chap." Drew's eyes glistened a little as he slowly straightened his back and wrapped his slender fingers around the cup of coffee. "But I swear, May—I never intended it to get _that_far. I never planned to actually marry you. I didn't know what I was doing. But it was all just an act for me. An act that I got way too caught up in. And . . . I'm sorry."

I swallowed. The sinking pain of rejection slowly was creeping itself back into my blood again. I had prepared myself for that _malicious_ truth that I knew I would get—but now that it was right in front of my face, I didn't want to hear it anymore. It was all so . . . humiliating. I felt that pain again. The feeling of wanting to throw up, the feeling of numbness, feeling so . . . _stupid_.

"Drew—" I wanted to stop him. I had enough from him. I didn't want to hear anymore. But he held out a hand and shook his head.

"Just let me finish."

I swallowed again. What else was coming next? What other mortifying stuff was he about to say to me? It was like I was some sort of stupid ragdoll that he was throwing about with a mere flick of the wrist.

Apparently Drew saw my silence as an agreement for him to resume talking. "Anyway, when I finally got the deed done, I sat down to myself, satisfied and finally realized what I was doing. It was there that I decided that I had to get away. I couldn't let you or myself enter into commitment that would bond us forever. It wasn't like we knew anything about each other!"

It took me a moment for that information to set into those little grey cells. All of this years, I had been imagining this day; the day that I would finally confront Drew Hayden on why he had canceled our wedding. Of all the excuses that I imagined him to say—this one definitely set the records. There was no way in hell that I could have ever predicted a story such as this. I was speechless for a little bit, before coming to my senses. I whispered out the next words, almost scared. "What do you do then?"

At this question, Drew's face changed. Morphed into the strongest reluctance that I had ever seen him convey. Was it really that bad? Did he perhaps . . . murder somebody? Maybe police were looking for him this very second! A shiver of cold fear washed over me. I had been watching too much CSI, I decided to myself. He couldn't have killed anybody. Drew Hayden wasn't the type. But that made me wonder . . . who was Drew really? Was that even his real name? Was his personality all just a lie too?

I felt like breaking down at this identity crisis. The one person who I thought that I understood _so _well wasn't who I thought he was. I didn't know a thing about him except for the fact that he sure was a good actor.

"I—Is that really necessary?" Drew asked me, his green eyes looking nervous. "Why does it matter what I did?"

I looked down at my shoes, my best white strap heels and was reminded of a summer evening when I was four years old. Mom had a pair of shoes just like this one and I used to secretly admire how pretty they were. They were, of course, too big for me, but that didn't really stop me from trying them on every time she was away. And one day, I was walking in the garden, tripped on a rock and broke the heel. I was _horrified_, naturally. Mom would kill me, considering that she didn't allow me to wear the shoes. Not knowing what to do, I put the shoes back into its box and blamed it on Max, who was still a baby and couldn't defend himself.

That was the "evilest" thing I had done in my life. And I sure didn't want anybody to know. I felt as though I understood Drew, although _his _crime would be more serious than mine. He shouldn't be forced to tell me the thing he had done. And besides that, I didn't think I really wanted to know.

"It doesn't matter," I told him and breathed out. "Nothing matters anymore." I forced myself to actually smile. It might have come out as a grimace, but I tried. "So who's this other girl? Are you using her too?"

I guess my words were a little bit too harsh and blunt, but if Drew noticed it—he sure did a great job at ignoring it. I should probably take lessons from him. "No. I'm not. She's the daughter of the guy that I work for. We're going to get married soon."

Wow. Another point for greenie.

And then it suddenly downed on me. This girl—this Posy girl—was somebody that he really loved and wanted to get married to. I was nothing more than a little cover-up to prevent suspicion. And yet I spent all of these years, cherishing the wedding dress that I never got to wore, secretly hoping that someday he would walk back into my life like the little Prince Charming he was.

The bitterness of the situation was unbearable. I felt heartache again for the millionth time that day. But I swallowed it all down. I wasn't about to bawl my eyes out in front of the one who had subconsciously (or consciously) broken my heart. I wasn't that desperate to give away my dignity—if it could be called that—just yet. Crying was for bedtimes, May; I chided myself.

Instead, I smiled. I smiled big as if somebody was about to take my picture to be on the cover page of a magazine. "That's wonderful. It's nice to hear that you've found your soul mate. I'm seeing somebody too. And I think he's the one for me."

Drew looked dumbfounded for a second. And then he wiped it all away with a smirk. "You're kidding."

I just smiled back. "No. I'm not kidding."

The green-haired man arched up one of his brows. "Wow. Okay. That's . . . great."

I cringed a little at how our conversation had changed from polite to drama to polite again. Drew changed; I realized. Although hints of his sarcastic and egoistic side may still be there, the rest was just covered up with this fake persona. Or maybe he hadn't changed at all. Maybe he had always been this way. All these thoughts were making my head hurt. I glanced at the time on my phone. It was nearing one-fifteen. Laura would be steaming mad by now.

"I guess I have to go now." I stood up, taking my bag.

Drew stood up quickly too, grabbing his wallet from the table and shoving it inside the back pocket of his jeans. "I think I better go too. Do you need a ride?"

I shook my head and dug out Laura's car keys as we started to make our way out of the shop. Outside, there was heavy traffic polluting the street. People were scattered _everywhere_. Petalburg at this hour was always such a hassle. "Nope. I have my friend's ride."

I was surprised to see Drew still following me as I turned the corner to where the car was parked. The quite run-down station wagon wasn't hard to find in the road. Especially because there was a new-looking, black sports car parked right behind it. I gaped at it as we both approached the same place.

"No. Please don't tell me that car is yours."

Drew smirked, and twirled a car key in front of my face. "Okay. Then I won't. If you won't tell me that _your_ ride is that red old thing."

"It's not mine!" I whined but Drew just smirked, shook his head and stood by the sidewalk, crossing his arm over his chest as he watched me unlock the car door. I pushed up my bottom lip and got into Laura's car. I couldn't help but stare at the sports car from my rearview mirror. It was so damn _shiny_.

"Hey, I asked you if you wanted a ride." He teased from the sidewalk. He was waiting for me to head off, I guess. "But if you were wondering, it comes with the work." I nodded, although I didn't know what exactly he meant. What work? The salesman thing? Or the more . . . _illegal _one? I wasn't about to ask though.

"Cool. Anyway, better run now. Laura—my friend's probably waiting for me at the shop. See you . . . around."

I started the car and pulled away. I wanted to get away fast. I had enough of drama concerning Drew Hayden enough for one day—enough to last a lifetime. But if I had taken a moment to listen, I would have probably heard Drew ask with bewilderment, "You have a shop?"

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Author's Note: That was short T_T

It didn't take me much time to write but I thought that this was really a lot of information for you readers to take in and if I just added some more, it would overload and that wouldn't be very good.

I still feel that the writing was horrible. =|

Please review!

_-Suzie x_

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_Edited: 4th September '10_


	7. Mannequin

Author's Note:

Hi everyone :) Yup, I'm back with a new update for Blue Ersatz. It's been about two months that I haven't updated this baby. I know After Dusk needs more attention but After Dusk is nearing the end and BE is just at its first stages. :)

Anyway. I hope you enjoy this!

**Thank you reviewers :)**

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| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

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"**M**annequin"_

_-SuzieQuaKes- _

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_"You're not a man, you're just a mannequin. I wish you could feel that my love is real, but you're not a man."_

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"L_auuu_ra! I'm back."

I stumbled into my air-conditioned boutique and sighed in content. Throwing my purse onto the couch, I toppled right next to it, feeling completely worn out. I was glad to be back. My mood wasn't exactly top-notch at that moment and the _torture _of driving through heavy traffic in the melting heat only enhanced how miserable I felt. When Laura didn't reply after five seconds, I grew an uneasy feeling in my stomach. And it wasn't because I was worried something might have happened to her—no it was more of what might happen to _me._

I slowly turned around and saw my friend standing at the counter together with a couple. Exactly how I expected it to be. I saw a flash of relief pass through Laura's face as she grinned and eagerly announced: "Oh, there's the girl you want. She's the owner and I'm sure she can help you more than I can." Then, my so-called friend had the nerve to flash a smile at me. "Hey, girl."

I pressed my lips together. _Oh, hell no._ I was tired and dejected. The last thing I wanted was to guide this annoying bride-to-be and her most probably _equally_ annoying fiancé in the quest of finding the perfect wedding dress. I was sure that Laura was completely aware of the emotional trauma that I was going through after seeing Drew. And I guessed that this was her way of punishing me for going to see Drew without her approval.

Sometimes I despised Laura. Sometimes. Like right now.

But what could I do except get up, brush my skirt, run a hand through my messed-up hair and walk over to the couple? After all, they _were _customers. And I sold dresses for a living. Therefore, I was expected to do my job. Things like how I was feeling were simply unimportant.

"Hi." I gave the couple the best smile that I could muster at that moment. Then I reached out to shake each of their hands. "I'm May Maple."

The woman was the first to speak. She beamed at me, her white pearly teeth almost causing me to shield my eyes. I noticed that she was skinny to the bone and her shiny blond hair was pulled back to form a little bun at the side of her head, making her look even skinnier. The bones that formed her jaw stuck out noticeably. "Hello! I'm Caitlin. And this is my fiancé, of course." She giggled and motioned her hand to the man beside her. "He's—"

"Will Jackman" The man interrupted her and nodded at me with a little smile. Hmm. Maybe I was wrong to immediately think that the fiancé would be equally annoying. He seemed more like a decent person. He was broad and loomed over Caitlin. "It's nice to meet you, May."

"Nice to meet you too." I smiled politely and walked over to the counter, pulling out a few catalogs from the shelf. "This contains all the dresses that we sell here at Blessed Blue. There's a fresh batch of spring collections. May I know what the color scheme of your wedding is?"

"Pink!" Caitlin answered my question with a squeal. Why were women so annoying? Okay, maybe that was kind of a hypocritical question as I was a woman myself. But seriously. The girly kind of women never failed to make me want to punch them. Or punch myself.

"Honey, its _beige _and pink." Will had a stress in his voice as he ran fingers through his short dark hair. I heard a lot of those tones from fiancés. It always seemed as though being a bride gets you more emotional and feminine. And grooms were mostly annoyed with that. I guess I could relate to it. I _had _been a bride once in my life. But that was just an irrelevant thought. "Remember?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, grabbing the catalogs from me. "Whatever." She then walked over to the couch where I had set down my purse and set herself down daintily, flipping through a catalog. The groom settled to look around the boutique, at the many gowns that were dressed on the mannequins.

I stood there, beside the counter, awkwardly as Laura sorted out cash registers. I offered them both a cup of tea, which they accepted. And an hour later, Caitlin was still sipping the tea and flipping through the pages. Will had finished looking at every dress in the boutique and was sitting down across from Caitlin, looking ticked. A few minutes later, he pulled out a phone and started to text somebody.

And three hours later, after Caitlin had tried on about twenty-five dresses and Will looked as if he was going shoot himself in the face—the couple finally decided on a low-cut dress that was crisscrossed with a creamy pink. So it was kind of needless to say that I was about to kill Laura the moment the couple walked out of the shop. But Caitlin wanted to pick a matching veil and thought that none of the veils I showed her "matched the pink of the dress". So she started to go through the catalog again, hoping to find a dress that would match the veil. Will closed his eyes, sat in the corner of the shop and listened to music through headphones.

I inwardly groaned to myself. _This was going to be one hell of a long day._

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The next day at Blessed Blue was no different. It was spring, sort of what you would call a good time to get married. Couples, brides with mothers and brides with friends walked in and out of my boutique. I had to admit, brides with friends was the worse. It was kind of like having to satisfy the needs, wants, and must-haves of _two _brides. And believe me; one was more than enough.

It was the day that Laura took a break from her job and my mother came to help out. Mom wasn't _that _much of a help, but she took some of the customers so that I didn't have to do everything alone. And the best part of the day was that Danny came to pick me up around lunch time and we had a nice lunch together in the park. Then he told me that he had the day off from work and lingered around the store. It was kind of nice having him around to chat with when I was free from the customers. And he also kept the grooms company, which was always a good thing. Grooms often felt unnecessary in dress-picking.

When the fourth bride-to-be and her fiancé walked out of the shop, I sighed and leaned back into the cushioned settee. I heard the sound of footsteps and then two hands dropped onto my shoulders, giving them a squeeze. I smiled appreciatively and turned back to face my milky-eyed boyfriend.

"That feels amazing."

Danny smiled back at me, gave my shoulders another squeeze before placing himself down beside me. "Your job is not easy."

"A stock broker saying that?" I laughed and the brown-haired man shrugged his shoulders. "I'm flattered."

"It's nothing compared to this, May-o."

I just laughed and leaned my head back against the sofa. That was—of course—before the little jingle rang out through the room. I gritted my teeth slightly. _Another _customer. My God, Blessed Blue was becoming quite popular for a secondhand dress store.

Danny turned to give me a little sideways smile and then stood up. He offered me his hand and I took it to guide myself up. I was about to turn around with my best smile and greet the customer, before I heard:

"Posy, this is a _secondhand _dress shop. You know that your dad could get you the finest custom-made wedding dress from the runways of Milan."

"I know, Drew. But Caitlin said that this place was amazing. And I don't want to make a big deal out of a wedding dress."

I stiffened in my heels and had to grab onto the sofa to keep from falling. From beside me, Danny whispered: "Are you okay, May?"

For a moment I was too stricken to say anything. Then I slowly took a deep breath. This was not supposed to be a huge issue; I told myself. It shouldn't be. "Yeah, I'm fine." I whispered back and then turned myself around to see exactly what I had expected.

Drew and a tall _gorgeous _woman standing together at the entrance of my boutique. Drew had his arms crossed over the polo shirt that he was wearing, looking bored. Posy looked eager.

_Posy_.

A little pang of jealousy slipped through my heart. When I had talked to her on the phone, I hadn't expected her to be so . . . leggy and beautiful. She had flowing black hair that was so shiny you could basically see your reflection on it. Her cheekbones were high, her lips were full and her skin was scrubbed and glowed with a golden tan.

Drew had certainly picked a woman that leveled his attractiveness.

"Hi!" "May?"

Both of them spoke at the same time. That was when I felt three pairs of eyes fall upon me. The first was my mother's at the counter from where she was sorting through the catalogs. The second was Danny's. And the third set of eyes belonged to Posy. I muttered a curse word under my breath. This just had to happen.

"Hi Drew." I said in a soft voice. Slowly, a smile started to form onto Posy's face as realization struck her.

"Oh! So _you're _May! Wow, its funny running into you here, isn't it?" She walked up to me, her stilettos clicking on the marble floor and held out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Posy Donahue—soon to be Hayden, of course! We met on the phone the other day but that was all just general. Caitlin came here yesterday, didn't she? She's like my best friend and we're planning to get married on the same day. She told me that the dresses here were fantastic! So I just had to come."

I bit my lower lip slightly as I released her handshake. She sure talked a lot. So basically it was _Caitlin _that led Drew and Posy here. Oh, well that was quite lovely to know. "It's nice to meet you, Posy." I then motioned my hand to Danny who was beside me. "This is Danny, my boyfriend. Danny, this is Drew and Posy."

I saw Danny flash a smile at her and Posy grinned back just as eagerly. They seemed to hit it off immediately. But before I could say anything else, my mother joined my side. And she did not look very pleased.

"Drew Hayden, you have the _nerve _to walk in here! I don't want to see your worthless face ever again! Get out! Get out of my daughter's store!" And then my Mom started to push him.

"Ow!" Drew exclaimed as my mother smacked his shoulder. "Can someone get her away from me?"

"Oh my God, Drew!" Posy looked horrified.

"Mom!" I ran out to pull her away from Drew. Danny rushed over to help me. When we finally pulled my thrashing mother who was yelling out every colorful word that she knew, _away _from Drew, I started to explain everything.

"Mom, it's okay!" I started to tell her. She still looked furious. "It's all in the past. Let's forget about that right now. And I'll tell you everything later." Then I turned towards Danny, who was clearly confused and deserved a proper explanation.

"Drew's the ex-fiancé that left me." I whispered to him and his eyes suddenly flickered with understanding.

"Got it." He whispered back to me and then held my mother's hand. "Mrs. Maple, why don't we go and have a soda? May needs to do her job."

And then he leaded my mother away from the couple and out of the shop. When they disappeared, I took a huge breath. Drew looked blank, his hair all messed up and his shirt crumpled. Posy looked panic-stricken as she started to smooth Drew's shirt. I awkwardly coughed into my hand. Well this was off to a great start.

"I'm sorry. My mother still haven't gotten over that . . . _thing_." I preferred not to have named what that '_thing'_ was. Especially in front of Posy. But Drew seemed to understand.

"Yeah, I can see that." Drew flicked his green hair away from his forehead. "Well, anyway. Posy, you still in the mood to look for the dress?"

Posy moved herself away from Drew and shrugged her shoulders. "Although I have to admit, that was a _total _mood spoiler—" She giggled. "I think I still do want to look for the dress. Something tells me that my perfect fantasy dress would be here."

And suddenly, something striked me. Drew and his fiancée were here, looking to buy a dress for their wedding. What the hell was I doing keeping _my _gown behind a glass box and refusing to sell it to anyone? And then and there, I decided that it was only right to hand over the dress to Posy. She deserved it.

"I think I have the perfect dress for you." I declared, and then rushed over to the mannequin that stood behind the glass. Carefully, I unzipped the back of the gown and held the bundle of sweet-smelling garment like it was a newborn baby. Then I walked over back to Drew and Posy, both of whom were looking at me in confusion. I wasn't surprised that Drew didn't recognize the dress. I went to make it together with my mother and then he hadn't seen me on the day of the wedding because he was too busy running away.

A little twinge of pain sliced through my heart. But I forced it away.

"Here." I said, surrendering my burden to Posy. She held it at arms-length and scrutinized at it with a little smile on her face. Her green eyes twinkled. I took that as a good sign, and continued to talk. "I guess you could say that's one of the finest dresses we sell here. It's never been worn and it's worth far more than any of the gowns here."

"Wow!" Posy gasped in eager delight. "It's _beautiful!_" Then she turned towards Drew. "Baby, don't you think this is the _most _prettiest thing that you've ever seen?"

Drew shrugged his shoulders. "I guess it _is _sort of pretty."

Posy giggled and rolled her eyes as she turned back to me. "Don't mind him. I'm sure he thinks that it's gorgeous. Can I try it on?"

"Certainly." And then I had to lead her towards the trial room. But she wouldn't go in alone. She asked '_Drew-bear' _to help her with the zipper and such. I couldn't help but snicker as he was led away like a dog on a leash. Psh. _Drew-bear_. What kind of name was that?

When they disappeared behind the curtain, I had a chance to really think things over in my head. Everything that was happening right now was all such a blur to me. Wasn't it ironic that Drew and Posy had to pick _my _store out of all the other millions of wedding dress shops in Petalburg? I sat down on the chair that my mother abandoned when she went to attack Drew. And I guess that was when I realized how much my heart really hurt. No matter how hard I try to convince myself, I wasn't over Drew. And right now, the dagger in my heart sliced deeper and deeper.

I sniffled slightly and a tear rolled down my cheek. Heartache. Oh God, it really did hurt.

A sudden gasp and giggle plunged me straight back into reality. Posy pulled the curtain open and grinned at me as she twirled in the fairytale-like gown. Quickly, I wiped away the trace of sorrow from my cheek and forced a smile onto my face. I was getting better at this 'pretending to be fine' thing.

I stood up at marveled at how the dress fitted Posy so perfectly. She did look _divine_. Her black curls contrasted beautifully with the white of the dress. Although my thoughts keep telling me: _of course it looks beautiful on her. It's my dress after all_. And deep down inside, I was jealous. I was jealous at the fact that I never got to show off this beautiful dress. And secretly I knew that I looked far better in the dress than Posy. After all, it was custom-made for _me._

"How do I look?"

Posy was standing, admiring herself in the three-paneled mirror just like how Jennifer was, a few weeks back. Wow. Things had changed since then. I guessed I would be telling Jennifer that she couldn't have the dress.

As Posy twirled, I heard my dress call out to me again.

_May._

_Shut up!_ I thought to myself in frustration and then returned my attention back to the waiting Posy. Drew was standing beside her, smirking a little as he nodded to her in approval. I gritted my teeth as the pain in my heart returned. I guess I never got over Drew. It was silly of me to think that Danny, or anybody else could replace the mark he left in my heart. But if I still loved him so much to the point that I was numb with it. I would let him go. After all, if you love something you have to set it free.

Then I saw him looking at me. I looked right back with just as much intensity and we stared at each other for a quarter of a second, but it felt like a lifetime. My heartbeat become erratically faster as I realized that for that quarter of a second, it was just me and him. Nothing else—_no one else_—really mattered.

Drew smiled at me. A genuine one. No arrogance or humor was visible in his eyes. He smiled, as if to say '_thank you'. _And then I realized that he wasn't a man. He was just a mannequin. He didn't know how much he truly hurt me. He didn't know how much I loved him and still _do _love him. I wished that he could feel all my love, my hurt, my loneliness. But no matter how hard I wished, he couldn't. He wasn't a man.

"May?"

A voice that was full of syrupy empathy shook me out of my thoughts. Posy was looking at me with confusion visible in her bright green eyes. "I was asking you how much this dress is."

"It's free." The words blurted out of my lips before I could stop them. "I—I want to give it to you for free. Um, take it as a wedding present from me."

Posy looked awe-struck. "Are you serious? Oh my God! Thank you so much!" She rushed over to me and engulfed me in a hug. The soft-material of my dress against my skin made me tremble as I struggled not to cry. I was going to miss that dress. It was the only reminder that Drew Hayden had been a part of my life. But now I guess I wouldn't need it anymore. It was true that I enjoyed my time with Drew. But now it was finally time to say _good-bye._

"May, you're so kind!" Posy pulled away from me and grinned. I smiled back at her. She was truly beautiful. Drew deserved her.

Afterwards, I packed the dress up in a little box filled with confetti. I handed it over to Posy, feeling a little bit nostalgic at the fact that I was parting ways with my beautiful dress. The dress that never failed to remind me that I was _so _close to having my perfect happy ending. But I guess sometimes stories didn't always have a happy ending. Some stories ended in heartbreak and having to let go.

Like _my _story.

"Actually, you know what? I don't want to take the dress home right now." Posy smiled at me. "I want to choose the ugliest dress that Daddy would offer to buy me. And then on the day of the wedding, I want to surprise everyone with this beautiful one!" She turned to Drew and laughed happily. "Doesn't that sound like a great plan, Drew-bear?"

The green-haired man looked uncomfortable but he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, I don't know."

"Oh come on! It's just a little fun. We all know how Daddy needs some lightening up." Posy grinned and then turned to me. "May, if you wouldn't mind, can you please deliver this dress to my house next week Monday? Around nine o'clock? I'll give you my address."

"Babe, I'm guessing that May would be busy! She can't go around and deliver stuff." Drew's voice was firm and Posy looked like a disappointed child. I guess that was where I had to step in.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind at all." I shrugged my shoulders. I guess that it would give me a little more time to say goodbye to my dress. A proper goodbye. "I'll be happy to deliver it to you."

"Aw, that's so nice of you! Thank you!" Posy rewarded me with another sparkling grin of hers. And then she took a wad of post-it from the counter and scribbled down her address. Drew looked at me as if I were crazy, but I ignored it.

And a minute later, the couple left the shop. If I had known what kind of trouble I was going to get myself in by delivering that dress, I would have never offered.

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Author's Note:

A huge twist is coming. :) Prepare yourselves.

Review!

_-Suzie x_

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_Edited: 4th September '10_


	8. Rhiannon

Author's Note:

This chapter was not supposed to come out this early. xD It's just that it's summer and I've got a lot of time on my hands to write. And although I'm trying so hard to get inspiration to continue After Dusk, I just find myself writing this one. Maybe that's a good thing. Or maybe it's not.

But to the reviewers, thank you so much! :) A hundred-and-five. That's not bad. Not bad at all.

Happy Fourth of July! (:

**Enjoy!**

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| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

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"**R**hiannon"  
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_-SuzieQuaKes- _

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_"Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night and wouldn't you love to love her?"_

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_Monday._ The beginning of the week. The day when weekends concluded and the week full of work, sweat, tears and everyday drama began. I had always despised Mondays. Something about the word never failed to make me cringe in my seat. And oddly enough, Monday always came _so _fast. The weekends always went like _boom, boom! _And suddenly, before you know it, you were getting ready to start five more days of school, work, whatever horrendous routine you have to follow.

But this time I didn't want Monday to come for a very different reason. Monday was the day of Drew's wedding. Monday was the day that I would say good-bye to my beautiful gown and deliver to Posy. I didn't understand why their wedding was held on Monday, out of all days. Usually weddings were held on weekends when people would be free from work. Then I wondered—what _kind _of people would come to Drew and Posy's wedding?

Drew was a criminal, wasn't he? And I wasn't exactly sure of what kind of 'crime' he did, but usually criminals were friends with other criminals. And Drew _did _mention that Posy's father was the guy that he worked for. It was possible that Posy came from a criminal background too. Why else would Drew marry her? And he was also talking about how Posy's father could afford dresses from Milan . . . Meaning that Posy was _rich. _Criminals were usually rich, right?

"Earth to May? _Pass the syrup!"_

Startled, I snapped out of my thoughts to find a beady-eyed, dark-haired little freak glaring at me from across the table. It was early Monday morning, and we (my parents, Max and I) were having breakfast together. Just the way we had breakfast together for the past twenty-two years of my life. Depressing the way nothing really had changed.

"Max, no yelling at the breakfast table." My Dad scolded him slightly and continued to read _Petalburg Daily _through his glasses. He took occasional sips of coffee.

"Well I'm _sorry, _but as you can clearly see, May is not in this universe." My brother's voice was lighter, but that didn't stop him from giving me a look through his narrowed beady eyes. "I've been asking her to pass the syrup for fifteen times."

"Max, don't exaggerate." Mom gave him a smile as she carefully cut a piece of toast and buttered it. "May, would you pass him the syrup?"

"Uh, sure." I reached out to the little bottle of maple syrup and pushed it towards my brother. He dumped a load of the sticky goodness on top of his pancakes, stabbed them with a fork and shoved it into his mouth.

I stared down at my own plate of pancakes and decided that I wasn't hungry at all. My stomach was tossing and turning and my heart ached at the thought of Drew pledging to give his love to some other girl for eternity. It didn't matter how gorgeous Posy was. It didn't matter how I had let Drew go to do as he pleased. And it sure didn't matter that I had Danny. It still hurt.

Danny. The thought of Danny made me realize that I hadn't seen him ever since the day Posy and Drew came to my boutique. And that had been four entire days. He texted me occasionally, but they were little awkward texts. All that thinking about Drew made a little oblivious to what was going on between Danny and I. I suddenly realized there—while holding a fork and staring down at two pancakes—that my relationship with Danny was not going to work out. _Sure_, he was cute. And I had been crushing on him for ages, but we just didn't have chemistry.

"May? Sweetheart, it's almost eight-thirty. Don't you have that dress to deliver?" I looked up to see my mother looking at me with this sympathetic look in her eyes. She had gone ballistic when she first saw Drew with another girl, but I had explained everything to her. Everything that Drew told _me_. The entire criminal business. She didn't take it very well at first but then she told me that she was glad I wasn't with him anymore. And that it was actually good that he called off our wedding because it would be so heartbreaking to find these things _after _I was Mrs. Drew Hayden.

Oh, Mom. What did she know anyway? Like it was any less heartbreaking that he refused to show up at our wedding. Like it _still _wasn't breaking my heart, now, two years later and he was in love with another girl.

"Dress? Oh, you mean May's wedding dress? Drew's getting married today, isn't he?" Max prodded me with a sea of questions that I really did not want to be answering. But I knew that I shouldn't be feeling that way. Everything that happened between Drew and I were just lies. So I had no right whatsoever to hold on to him. But letting go was so hard.

"Yes, he is." I said with the strongest voice that I could muster at that moment. I even surprised myself with how utterly _weak _and pathetic I sounded. And I guess that was when the sympathy began. Dad put the newspaper down and removed his glasses.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I know it's probably hard for you, but he was a jerk anyway."

"It's not hard for me." I tried to deny, but my voice gave it all away. The tight, sinking feeling in my gut made me almost want to throw up. It hurt. It hurt so badly and the slightest mention of his name made me want to scream. Drew was the biggest jerk in the entire world. But I loved him. I never stopped loving him, ever since the day he left me. Because when you're in love with someone, it never really goes away. Love doesn't end. Once you love someone, you would love that person forever.

Quickly, I stood up from the breakfast table. "Um, Mom's right. I have to go and deliver the dress on time."

"I can deliver it for you if it's too hard, May."

I smiled at my mother and shook my head. Delivering this dress was important for me. I should be able to overcome this on my own. "No, it's okay. I can do it." I started to make my way out of the kitchen. "The address that Posy gave me is pretty far south of Petalburg. Can I take the car?"

"Of course." Dad stood up and walked over to the nearby peg where we kept the keys. He threw me the key to the family sedan and I caught in one swift motion. The keys jingled pleasurably in my palm.

"Thanks. I'll, uh, catch you guys later."

With that last word, I rushed upstairs to my room. The second I walked in, my beautiful wedding gown greeted me. It was hung up on a hanger in front of my closet, just how it was, two years ago. The familiar sight brought back so many memories. Ignoring how choked my throat had suddenly became, I walked over to the dress and held it by the hanger. I didn't want to feel the soft material under my fingers. Just feeling it would make me want to change my mind about giving it to Posy. I quickly placed the dress in the black cover and zipped it up.

I made my way downstairs and out of the house, not bothering to brush my hair or to change out of the grubby sweater and jeans that I was wearing. After all, I was just the dress-deliverer. There was absolutely no need for me to look fabulous.

* * *

"_Holy—"_

_958, Cherry Avenue, Petalburg._ I reread the address that Posy had scribbled for me. Then I looked at the metal address plate that was hung on the enormous gate. Yup. That was the place. I couldn't help but stare at how spacious it was. The mansion was _huge_—modernly designed, made of bricks that were a light beige color. Judging by all the windows, there must have been about a hundred rooms. A huge fountain in the shape of a cherub, spurting out water was placed right in the center of the garden. Bunches of blood-red tulips danced in the little spring breeze.

_This_ was Posy's house. Suddenly I felt little and underpowered.

"Pardon me, Miss. May I help you?"

I was shaken out of my gazing, by a man wearing a vibrant blue uniform. He spoke from behind the huge golden gates and stared at my old family car with a suspicious look. As if I was some hobo woman or something. Okay, so maybe the sedan was a _little_ bit run-down. Maybe I was dressed like I was a hobo. And maybe it didn't look so right that any visitor to the owner of this spacious place should come in a car like this, _looking_ like this. Whatever.

"Miss?"

"Sorry." I cleared my throat a little bit and spoke in a louder voice so that he could hear me over the loud rumbling of the motor. I poked my head out of the window. "I'm here to deliver the wedding dress? To Posy Donahue?" I motioned my hand over to the black bundle beside me.

"_Oh, _yes! Mr. Hayden told me to expect you." The look of suspicion disappeared from his face as he rushed over to open the gates. "Sorry for the questioning, Miss. It's just that we don't get many visitors."

"No, don't worry about it." I smiled at him, and when the gate was fully opened, I drove the hammering car towards the entrance of the house. Once I got there, a woman dressed in a maid costume in the same bright blue color came hurrying to me. She opened the car door, and then took the dress from my hands in a frenzied manner.

"Thanks." I murmured, a little bit uncomfortable at all the attention. I mean—what was with the maids anyway? I could perfectly carry a dress and open my own car door. It wasn't like I needed some special help. But it wasn't right for me to say something when she seemed so eager to help me.

"No, no, no! It's no problem." I saw that the little flustered woman spoke with an accent. I couldn't identify exactly what sort it was—maybe Bulgarian or something. "Mr. Hayden told me to lead you to his room if you come. If you'll follow me, Miss . . ."

"Oh, of course."

The mansion was even more spacious inside than it was on the outside. Marble lined the floor, so shiny that you could see your own reflections. I felt a little bit guilty to be walking on floors so shiny while wearing my dirty old sneakers. I only caught a glimpse of the living room, but I saw that it was filled with china knick-knacks, huge paintings and sculptures, expensive looking leather couches, and a huge plasma television. I noticed something else though. The house was oddly empty. I caught site of a few other women in blue uniforms but that was it. The entire house was silent, as if holding its breath.

The maid led me up the big winding stairs that led to the second story, and I reminded myself not to touch anything. I knew I was quite clumsy and if something broke, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to pay for it. The second floor was just a huge hall, with some portraits of stiff-looking people in inquisitive clothes. Probably ancestors or something. Doors lined the corridor. Big, wooden doors. It reminded me of a strange movie—or was that a cartoon? _Teen Titans_? The episode where the titans found themselves in this weird corridor where the different rooms led to different places.

"Here we are." I snapped out of my trance to find the maid standing in front of a double-door at the end of the corridor. It was the largest door, painted white. And for some reason, my heart started to beat wildly against my rib-cage.

The little woman knocked on the door quickly and it was almost immediately pulled open. I was kind of startled by how serious Drew looked. He appeared frazzled, his green eyes looking expectant, as if he were waiting for something. His dress shirt was crumpled and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. When he saw me, the expectant glint in his eyes disappeared.

"Oh. Hi."

"And good morning to you too, sunshine." I murmured under my breath. The maid gasped a little. Drew rolled his eyes.

"It's all right, Bonny. You can just leave that here." Drew took the dress from here and then nodded appreciatively at her. "Thanks for leading dear May here. Don't think she would have made it on her own." He smirked at me, dismissed the maid and then motioned me to follow him inside the room.

Room? It was more like a _chamber_. The big canopy double bed was in the center of the room. A black tuxedo was spread out on the bed. A dressing table with an enormous mirror was placed beside it. There were two walk-in closets, one on each side of the room (I was guessing one belonged to Posy and the other belonged to Drew). There were velvet curtains, and a door that led to a balcony where I saw two deck chairs. The floors were covered with an expensive-looking carpet that was spotless.

My _God_.

No wonder Drew was marrying this girl. She was _filthy rich_.

And speaking of the girl . . . where was she? "Drew." I turned towards the green-haired man who was spreading out my wedding dress beside the tux. There was something different about him. He appeared . . . _nervous_. And Drew Hayden was not the nervous type of guy. A knot was forming in the pit of my stomach. "Where's Posy?"

His body tensed as he froze in mid-position. Then he brushed his hair slightly, straightening himself up. His green eyes scanned the floor as he refused to directly look at my face. "She's . . . uh. She's not here."

More knots littered my stomach. Anxiously I fumbled with my hands and let out a little laugh. "W-what? What do you mean she's not here?"

Drew let out a sigh escape his lips and sat down on the bed. Then he looked straight up at me with those tired and distress-filled eyes. "Maybe it's karma. Maybe what goes around comes around." He slumped his shoulders and appeared to be about fifty years older than he really was. "Oh, I don't even _know _anymore!"

"Drew . . ." I let the name that I had once loved so much escape my lips. My worries were correct. It was true. And suddenly, although it should have been my moment of triumph at receiving what you would call 'revenge'—I felt sorry for him. I walked over to him slowly, and set myself down beside him on the bed. "She left you."

The green-haired man pushed up his lips and turned to face me. Having his face so close to mine rekindled me with all those memories. All those times when I held his face in my fingertips and let my lips brush slightly against his. Suddenly, my heart sped up three times as fast. But if Drew was hit by the sudden sea of memories, he didn't show it. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "She actually ran away. I couldn't find her since yesterday night. I had no sleep at all. I can't believe that she would do something like that."

I tore my gaze away from his face and stared down at my lap. Now you know how it feels like, Drew. Now you know how it feels like. "Do you have any idea where she went?"

"She left a letter." I looked up to find Drew lifting a pillow and pulling out a manila envelope. He handed it over to me and I hesitated a little before looking down at it.

_To Drew_

I then gazed up to the man beside me. He nodded as if to say 'open it'. So I did. I pulled out the folded piece of writing paper, quickly opened it up and let my eyes drop onto the writing.

_Dear Drew,_

_I'm __SO__ sorry, baby! I know that you may never forgive me! I wanted to marry you so badly. I know that it was a marriage of convenience and that you didn't really love me, but I thought you were absolutely perfect. Daddy wanted to see us together too, you know. His top man and his only daughter. But baby, I found somebody who truly loved me for me. He's asked me to elope with him to the Caribbean. I've arranged a jet and everything. I'm writing this in a hurry because Danny is going to come and pick me up any second. Daddy doesn't know about this, but I'm going to give him a phone call from the jet._

_I'm so sorry! I can't marry you. I don't love you the way that I love Danny. I've left the wedding ring inside the envelope. It's beautiful, Drew. But it's not meant for me. And please tell May that I won't be able to wear her absolutely gorgeous dress._

_I'm sure the guests will understand._

_Yours,_

_Posy_

"What the f—?" I dropped the letter and looked at Drew in complete and utter confusion. "She ran away with _Danny_? _My _Danny?"

That was like completely impossible, wasn't it? Hadn't they only met four days ago? How could she fall in love with him—and him with her—_that _quickly? How could they even f—ing _elope _after four days? It didn't make sense at all. But something _did_ hit me like a kick to the guts. I had been seeing less of Danny ever since the day he met Posy. So it _was_ possible. He could have been seeing her all this time. I didn't know whether to feel rejected that I had been cheated on, or relieved that . . . well, that things had kind of turned out my way.

"That's the only Danny that I could think of." Drew answered my question in a dry voice before he curled his lips and took his head in his palms. "I know that Posy's spontaneous and she's been known for doing crazy things, but she's completely blown the records this time."

"Drew. What are you going to do?"

"I—I don't know . . ." Suddenly, his head popped up from his palms. His green eyes glinted with a strange spark. The way that it always did when he had some wild, crazy idea. I waited for him to eagerly exclaim something stupid. Something like "_we can chase Posy down and convince her that she's wrong_". Or maybe _"we can tell the guests that the wedding invitation was printed with the wrong date and the real wedding would take place a month after, giving me time to find Posy"_. Or something. But no. What he said absolutely blew my mind.

"_May, marry me."_

And of course, there was nothing I could do or say except stare blankly at his handsome face. "What?"

"Marry me. Step in as Posy." Drew suddenly looked excited as his green eyes started to light up. "Almost all of the guests that were invited don't have a clue on what Posy looks like. May, this wedding is important to my _reputation_. I can't go out there and say that she left me for some bum!"

"What?" I was still stunned. I was going to wear my wedding dress, go out there, pretend to be Posy Donahue and marry Drew?

Drew sighed, rolling his eyes apparently exasperated at my inability to say anything. "May, seriously, please? After this wedding, Posy and I were supposed to head to La Rousse city where we were going to do a job together. If I go there alone, I'll be unable to complete the task. May, I'm like begging you right now. I need you to marry me. After everything, I promise, I will leave you alone. I just really need your help, May."

"But—but what about Posy's relatives? Her friends? Won't they recognize that I'm not Posy?"

"The only relative that Posy has is her father. She's been home-schooled her entire life because her father thought she was too special to go off to a school with other kids. The only closest thing to a friend she's had was me." Drew pressed his lips together and appeared to be more serious than I had ever seen him. "No one knows her, May. Nobody. And well, I can handle the father—if he comes. The only thing that I'm uncertain about is you. Will you marry me?"

Wow. Andrew Hayden was begging me to marry him. I never thought I would see that day. In a matter of half a second, I weighed out everything in my mind. Whether I should really marry him. Whether it was really even worth it after all the suffering he made me go through. I just couldn't come to a decision. Finally I looked up and stared into burning emerald eyes. He was looking at me in such a way that I felt my heartbeat quicken and my pulses go haywire. Biting down my lower lip and knowing that I would regret it later I whispered out the same word that I had said the first time he had proposed to me.

"_Yes."_

_

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_Author's Note:

Uh, yeah that kinda sucked. Dx LOL.

Please review. :)

_-Suzie x_

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_Edited: 4th September '10_


	9. I Don't Believe You

Author's Note:

Wow, another update for this story? Yes. :) I'm just so motivated! I can't help it. Haha. xD I guess that's good for you all out there who reads my stuff? x] And again, thank you so much for all of your reviews, guys! I love reading what you think of the story. And it motivates me more. Never expected over twenty for that last chapter. :)

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| ~ | ~ | **B **l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

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"**I** **D**on't **B**elieve **Y**ou"_

_-SuzieQuaKes- _

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_"I don't mind it, I don't mind it at all. It's like your the swing set and I'm the kid that falls."_

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_Yes. Oh my God, I had just said yes_. What was I _thinking_? Or more importantly—what alien warp was I under? Because obviously I must have been drugged or possessed to just say 'yes' as if the matter was oh-so casual. _Yes! _I told Andrew Hayden—AKA: beautiful-jerk-that-broke-my-heart-and-used-me-but-whom-I-was-still-painfully-in-love-with—that I was going to freaking marry him. For a second time. Pretending to be rich heiress, Posy Donahue.

I was seriously out of my mind.

After the cursed word had escaped my lips, Drew looked at me with something wonderful twinkling in his eyes. His mouth was slightly agape in shock and his expression was one of pure gratitude and shock mixed together. I guessed he was thinking that I would be one of those women who held a grudge on someone for as long as they lived. Well, obviously I proved him wrong. But I had to make_something _clear to him.

"This does not mean that I—in any way—_want _to marry you." I immediately blurted out before he had a chance to say anything. I couldn't let him believe that I was this desperate chick who flung herself at the opportunity of marrying him. No, I was not desperate for him. I had more dignity than _that_. And besides, Drew's enormous ego could maybe grow and there was no way that I would be able to tolerate that. He was self-centered enough. "I'm simply helping you out. I've been in the same boat and I know how it feels. Now if only I were lucky enough to get a groom replacement . . ."

"Listen, May." Drew cut me off, mid-statement and turned to me with seriousness in his eyes. "You seriously have no idea how grateful I am, right now. When it dawned on me that Posy had left me right before we were about to get married—the first thing I thought about was you. And how _you _must have felt, two years ago." He reached towards his hair and gently ran fingers through it. "I felt so ashamed of myself and believe me, if I could go back, I would have definitely made things different. I know it won't change anything, but for what it's worth: I'm sorry, May."

It would be wrong to say that I wasn't touched by his heartfelt apology, considering the fact that Drew Hayden _was _Drew Hayden and he didn't really do much of that effusive scene. I tightened my lips together, shrugging my shoulders. A lump formed in my throat but I pushed it away. It took me a moment before I said anything. "Drew, honestly, you're a jerk. And I want to say that your one tiny mistake didn't hurt me, even after all this time—but I can't because that's not true. Despite it all though, I'm happy to hear that you're sorry about what you did and that if given the chance, you're willing to make a different decision."

He nodded, with a little faint trace of a smile on his face and we sat like that in silence for a minute or two. That was before Drew turned towards me with a smirk, looking like his old self again. "If you_ever _mention this gushy moment again, I'll make your life miserable."

I giggled a little, happy now that the tension was broken. "I can't exactly promise you that."

"Idiot." The green-haired man rolled his eyes and smirked at me. His insult reminded me of the past when we spent so many hours, bickering with each other. And it was relieving to know that he hadn't_really _changed and everything that I knew about him wasn't a lie. He suddenly glanced at his wrist-watch and his eyes went wide open. "Damn it. The wedding starts at two. And it's already nearing ten o'clock. Misty's probably expecting us."

Drew stood up from the bed and rushed towards the walk-in closet that was at the far end of the room. He pulled it open and surveyed the rack full of thousands of dress shirts. I was dazed and a little bit confused as I stood up. "Who's Misty?"

"Misty Waterflower?" He turned and looked at me with a 'duh!' expression. I stared back blankly and Drew rolled his eyes, diverting his attention back towards the clothes. "She's only the most well-known stylist and fashion designer in the country. One of the Sensational Sisters? Owns the _Yawa_ label? Where have _you _been, dolt? Oh, that's right. In Mars with your fellow alien species."

"Well _excuse_ me!" I cried in fury, suddenly feeling attacked by his row of insults. "I don't spend all my time, making myself familiar with the fashion world. I'm not _gay _like you are."

"The gay that you're _marrying_."

"Not by choice!"

Drew picked a white and green striped dress shirt, tossed it over to the dressing table and closed his huge closet. He turned back towards me with a smirk. "Whatever." He then looked at me up and down for a long time that I felt myself blush and stutter.

"W—what are you looking at, _gay_?"

"The pieces of rags on you that you call _clothes," _Drew shot back and I felt myself getting angrier. That bastard. He was just like I left him. Arrogant, smart-ass, egoistical . . . "Everyone would laugh in my face if I introduced you as Posy Donahue when you're looking like _that._"

"Hey! When I left the house this morning I wasn't expecting to be asked to step in as bride to an obnoxious ass!" I was fuming by now. Drew Hayden never, ever failed to make me so riled up and mad. Although it _was_ kind of true. I was wearing an old, grubby tan sweater and blue jeans with lots of tears in it. I knew that I wasn't exactly looking my best at that moment. But that was no excuse for this jerk to keep on insulting me like that.

The green-haired man placed a hand to his heart and his face turned into a look of mock horror and despair. "Obnoxious ass? Aw, May, you broke my heart. Boo-hoo." Then he wiped the look off his face and smirked, walking over to other closet—Posy's.

"Shut up!" I exclaimed, finding myself unable to think of any witty and quick remark. He was so _annoying_! Remind me again why I was so in love with him?

"Excellent comeback, my little genius." Drew answered with a wry smile and opened the closet. My mouth fell in shock at what was behind those doors. It was like every girls' fantasy. There were all sorts of dresses, tops, pants, skirts and millions of pairs of shoes! I always did have a soft spot for shoes. He rummaged through the closet and then pulled out a dress in a shade of deep violet. The fabric looked soft and velvety. Then he chose a pair of gorgeous black stilettos. Walking back to where I was standing, he handed the dress and the shoes to me in a smug matter. "I think that'll make you look a little decent. It wouldn't be able to help your repulsive face, but hey—what could?"

"I hate you, Drew." I said darkly as I snatched the clothes from him. He smirked in return.

"And I love you too, dearest."

I would be lying if I said the statement—although it was sarcastic—didn't make my heart skip a beat.

* * *

After about an hour of bickering and insulting each other like it was the sole purpose of our living, we got dressed and were finally off to Misty Waterflower's. Whoever she was. Drew and I cruised through the streets of Petalburg in his black sports car and I had to admit; I loved the feeling of the wind in my hair and the taste of sitting in such an amazing car. Not that I would ever tell Drew that. He didn't need any further encouragements with his ego.

I couldn't help but think how ironic things had turned out. Here I was, sitting beside Drew in a luxury car, going to meet some renowned stylist who would fix me up for the wedding. In a few hours, I was going to be at that altar, saying 'I do' to Andrew Hayden. I had told myself for the past few years that marrying Drew for a second time was impossible. And now look how everything had turned out. The guy that said 'impossible is nothing' was correct. At least, in my situation.

I stared out of the window as the town I had grew up in whirled past my eyes. Drew had switched on the radio, and a reggae song was playing. He was quiet—for once. He seemed lost in thought too, as he kept his bright green eyes fixed on the road ahead. Suddenly, I wondered what my parents and Max would say when they found out I was marrying Drew because of certain circumstances. I wondered how Dawn and Laura would take it. And Danny . . .

I still couldn't quite believe that Danny would end up eloping with Posy. Danny Parker. That calm, cool, breezy type of guy. Who would have thought?

"Daydreaming, dumbo?" Drew's voice cut through my thoughts and I suddenly realized that the car was parked in front of a huge studio. Big, blue cursive wooden letters spelt out _'Yawa'_ on the glass windows. "We're here."

I was about to open the car door, but Drew stopped me, calling my name in a serious tone. I looked at him in curiosity as he pulled out something from his pocket. It was when he held it out in the center of his palm that I realized it was an engagement ring. It was . . . beautiful with an enormous diamond bulging from the middle that sparkled gleefully in the sunlight. I gaped at it and I heard Drew chuckle slightly at my expression. "If you open your mouth any wider, it could be passed as a cave." He smirked at me and took my left hand, slipping the ring down my fourth finger. "Perfect fit."

I stared down at my hand, at the ring that wasn't meant for me. Or maybe it was. Maybe all of this was meant to happen. Maybe . . .

"Come on, idiot girl. We're running behind." Drew's voice broke through my chain of trailed thoughts. He opened the door of the sports car and stepped outside.

I pouted at him and then huffed out of the sports car. Drew greeted me with a smug look on his face and held out his arm. Reluctantly, I hooked my hand through it (as told by Drew) and we walked briskly through the big glass doors of the studio. I gasped for about the millionth time that day. The studio was filled with mannequins clad in all sorts of beautiful and expensive looking clothes. There were women everywhere, cutting fabric, sketching designs, holding long tape-measures. I was easily impressed by all of this.

The moment Drew and I walked in, we were greeted by a woman with bright orange hair tied at the side of her head. She was dressed in a simple orange tank top and blue jeans. She appeared friendly-looking as she greeted us both with a huge smile.

"Hey Drew! I was expecting you."

"How's it going, Mist?"

"Hectic. Daisy's out for a date with Tracey." She rolled her eyes in a exasperated manner. "And you can't exactly say Violet and Lily are any help. But all things aside, this must be Posy!" Her bright grin made me feel at ease with her and I could hardly believe that she was the infamous stylist that Drew was talking about. By the way she was dressed, it appeared as though she hadn't a care for fashion or make-up.

She held out a hand to me and smiled. "Hi! I'm Misty Waterflower! I've heard about you from Drew and I've always wanted to meet you!"

I reached out to shake her hand and smiled brightly back at her. I liked her already. "I'm Posy Donahue," I told her, careful not to accidentally slip and say 'May'. "It's really nice to meet you!"

Misty giggled, her laugh sounding like bells tinkling. Her sea-green eyes gleamed as she turned to look at Drew and whispered: "She's pretty!" Then she smiled, and told Drew that one of the male stylists would lead him to a separate room. Drew didn't seem to argue with that. Afterwards Misty turned to me. "I'll take Posy and have her stunning in no time."

"You better." Drew joked and then wrapped an arm around my waist as I tried not blush. "After all, she's my bride."

The redhead looked at us with a wistful smile. "Aww. You two are _such_ a cute couple!"

Drew smirked down at me and I tried my best to smile 'lovingly' back at him. He held my gaze long enough before he glanced at Misty. "Speaking of couples, where's Ash?"

At the sound of the name, Misty's bright green eyes narrowed into slits. "Oh I don't know. He went out a while ago to get something to eat. Still hasn't come back yet. Ugh, that guy makes my blood boil."

"Who makes your blood boil?" A new voice made me turn back to face a young man with spiky black hair, dressed in a red cardigan and blue jeans. He grinned at us and then walked over to join us. "Hey Mist. 'Sup, Drew? And this must be . . ."

"Posy." I quickly said, smiling at him. He seemed pretty nice. "Drew's fiancee."

"Ah, so _you're_ Posy! Nice to meet you. Ash Ketchum, at your service!" He grinned some more and then turned towards the redhead. I was guessing that he was Misty's boyfriend. "Why the grumpy face, Mist?"

The red-haired woman crossed her hands across her chest, pushing her lips up in a 'hmmph' manner. "Finally decided to come back, eh Ash?" She ignored his question and narrowed her eyes at him. "Thanks for leaving me here alone with all this bustle!"

"Aw Mist, I'm sorry. But the bagels were amazing! And look, I've even brought you something!" He held up a zip-lock bag with a half-eaten bagel like it was the most romantic gift in the world. I couldn't help but laugh a little at the scene. Misty shriveled her nose at Ash's 'gift'.

"Gee Ash, how nice of you." She rolled her eyes and then grabbed my hand. "Well we've got no time to waste, standing around like this! I'm going to start working on you right away, Posy! Ash, lead Drew to room two, yeah?"

"No problem."

"Come on, Posy." Misty was happy again as she smiled brightly and guided me towards a private room in the end of the doorway. Inside the room, there were mirrors on every wall and big, high chairs. Rows and rows of make-up and hair-appliances lined the shelves and it looked just like a typical beauty parlor. Misty sat me down on one of the chairs and then smiled. "I'm going to make you absolutely gorgeous. Drew will drop dead at the sight."

"Oh, I hope he does." I giggled and faced my reflection in the mirror as Misty draped a black cloth around my shoulders. "He's just so arrogant sometimes that it drives me crazy." Smiling, I let a deep breath escape my lips and added—for good measure only, mind you: "But I guess that's what makes me love him."

Misty grinned. "Gosh, I'm jealous!"

"Oh come on, what about Ash?"

The grin disappeared off of her face and Misty scoffed, rolling her eyes the way she always did every time the name 'Ash' was mentioned. She grabbed a comb from the tray full of hair supplies and gripped it tightly in her hands. "What _about _him? That guy is probably the _densest _guy that I've ever met! He cares about nothing except food and clearly I think you saw that. He's about as romantic as a baboon."

I arched my eyebrows at her as she started to take my hair and comb through it. "But the way he looks at you, Mist! I honestly thought he was your boyfriend!"

Immediately after the word left my lips, Misty choked on air and started to cough. "Boyfriend?" She spluttered. "You've _got _to be kidding me. Ash Ketchum is the guy I had to put up with since the cradle days. He is definitely _not _my boyfriend!"

I just smiled back at her, not saying another word. Judging by her expression, Misty was definitely, one-hundred percent, in love with Ash. And I would bet all my worldly possessions on the fact that Ash was _just as much _in love with her too, if not even more. I made a note to myself to play matchmaker and set them up, once I was a little free. That was—of course—if they even needed my help. I smiled happily, swinging my legs back and forth as Misty worked with my hair. All of my worries were forgotten and I almost felt like I _was _Posy, the fiancee of Drew.

But of course, more shocks were yet to come.

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Author's Note:

Sorry for the shortness, but I promise the next chapter will be longer as it will describe the wedding and some more twists and turns :) I was actually considering writing a little part of the wedding scene, but I didn't want it to stick out randomly. What did you think of the Pokeshipping? Haha, I really didn't plan this, it just happened on it's own. xD Please review? :)

_-Suzie x_

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_Edited: 4th September '10_


	10. Bad Romance

Author's Note:

Hello all! :) Okay, another update for this! Double-digit chapters begins! :D Probably the last update before school starts. -.- TWELVE FRICKING DAYS! Can you believe that? Honestly. Ugh. Summer went by so fast. :(

Anyway. This is where the story takes a massive spin. If I was able to list _three _genres, it would be: Romance/Drama/Action.

Yes. This is where the action officially starts. Enjoy :)

**To my anonymous reviewer "W"—here is where the twist begins. :) It is nothing like your typical story. I just wanted to take things slow so that it won't be rushed as a whole. Thanks for the review and I'm glad you like the story up to a certain point.**

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| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

_10  
"_**_B_**_ad _**_R_**_omance"_

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

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_"I want your horror, I want your design. 'Cause you're a criminal as long as you're mine."_

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"_And with the power vested in me—I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."_

Breathless. That was what I was feeling at the moment. I was _trembling _and shaking like a freaking leaf. My mouth had suddenly gone as dry as a cotton ball and I clutched the bouquet of beautiful white roses in my hand tightly. Here I was, standing in front of an enormous audience filled with people I didn't know and people that didn't know me.

Misty had carefully done my makeup and hair to perfection. My beautiful wedding gown was finally being worn—by _me _and not some other girl. Drew had some trouble speaking when he saw me all dressed but of course being _Drew_, he covered it all up with a smirk and an insult. He looked handsome too, though I wouldn't admit it to him. He was dressed in a white tuxedo, looking groomed and tidy. And _he_ was the man beside me at that altar, the one that I was promising eternal love to. Just like I always wanted.

Yet, I still was thinking: '_what the hell am I doing?'_ This was _not _how I had imagined my wedding to be—ever. It was all . . . wrong.

Of course, everything _appeared_ to be utterly perfect. The beautiful Petalburg bridge where Drew had arranged the wedding to take place was decorated extravagantly with daisies everywhere—but it wasn't how I imagined _my _wedding to take place. But that was just pure nonsense. This wasn't my wedding. This was _fake_. It wasn't supposed to feel right—because it wasn't right.

All of this was running through my mind as Drew turned towards me with a smile on his face. For a slight second, it felt as if the smile was real. And as though his twinkling green eyes were full of love._Actual _love. And love for me, May Maple—not Posy Donahue. But I let that thought slip away. Drew was just a really good actor. He had to act like he loved me for the sake of all those people watching us. He didn't really love me. He just didn't. It was all a flipping act.

The green-haired man lifted the veil and took my face in his hands. I looked up at him, my heart clambering loudly against my chest and my palms began to sweat. Drew appeared to be calm and cool as always as he leaned down, closed his eyes and pressed his lips gently against mine. And that took away all of my troubling thoughts along with my breath. I forgot how soft those lips were. No, I hadn't forgotten. I _made _myself forget with the thought that I would never, ever feel a spark quite similar to this feeling. Oh, how it brought back memories. So many flashbacks flickered underneath my closed eyes for that little second we kissed.

When he pulled away and the entire bridge began to explode in applause, I tried to catch my breath. My lips still tingled with his warmth and I couldn't stop shaking. Suddenly Drew took my hand and smiled at me. Then he led me down the little pathway between the rows and rows of chairs where people were standing up, smiling and congratulating us. People that I didn't know at all—except for Misty and Ash, who were actually sitting together without any bloodshed.

"Throw the flowers!" Someone called out to me and I smiled as I tossed the bouquet behind my shoulders and some women squealed to catch it. I turned to look at who actually got it and couldn't help but laugh as I saw the flowers landing on Misty's lap. She looked as red as beet as she lifted the flowers from her lap awkwardly. Ash looked completely clueless. I was guessing he didn't know what catching the bride's bouquet at a wedding symbolizes—but he sure was about to find out!

The atmosphere was sweet and romantic—just like all weddings were.

"Andrew! Andrew Hayden!"

Of course, it all had to be ruined. A pudgy, stout man dressed in a black suit and black sunglasses came rushing towards us from the end of the bridge. From beside me, Drew muttered "_shit" _under his breath. He gave me a silent look of apology (something that was very uncharacteristic for him) before dragging me along towards the man in black. We must've looked pretty odd, the "newly married" couple, straying away from the ceremony.

"Andrew!" He cried again as we reached him. I could see the vein on his forehead throbbing as he yelled from the top of his lungs. The spring sun shone onto his finely cropped black hair. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"George, I can explain!" I stared blankly as Drew exclaimed one of the most cliché lines ever. The situation sounded as if Drew was caught marrying someone by his . . . _boyfriend? _I had to giggle. Maybe Drew _was _gay. Gosh, that would explain so many things.

My giggle was not received well by both men. The man in the black suit tore off his black sunglasses and his big blue eyes bulged out of their sockets. "I just got a phone call from Posy. That worthless girl! The stupid, foolish creature! What the hell does she think she's doing—_running off _like that? And with some boy!" It was then that I realized that the man was probably Posy's dad. Oops. Still, I found it pretty funny. So I giggled again, but softly. I didn't want the attack of the scowls again. "Now what are _you _doing? Who is this?"

"This is May." Drew quickly motioned his hand over to me and looked at me with a little nod. "George, you _know _how extremely important this wedding is! You know about the job! I can't lose it. May and I are old friends and she's helping me out. You have nothing to worry about, I've got all of this under control." The green-haired man turned towards me. "May, this is George Donahue—Posy's father."

I guessed right; I thought to myself and smiled politely at the man. He merely looked at me, pressing his lips tightly together. "Are you sure she's willing to do this?"

"May will be fine. Everything will be fine, George. Trust me. You just work on finding Posy, all right?" I never had seen Drew so serious about something before. For once that smirk that was always on his face was gone. But I couldn't understand. What were they talking about? I was willing to do what? Didn't I just have to pretend to be Posy for a day and then be over with it?

"Fine." George pulled on his Ray-Ban shades again, covering those icy-blue eyes. Before he turned to leave, he muttered something to me. "You really have no idea what you're about to get yourself into, May."

With that last word, the little man walked away and I stared at his dark silhouette against the clear, blue sky. His words rang in my head. What exactly did he mean by that? Butt I didn't have a chance to really think because Drew grabbed my hand again and tugged. We began to walk back towards everybody else who were enjoying the music playing from a local live band and some little appetizers and champagne brought in trays. As we reached towards the crowd, he leaned in and whispered:

"Listen, denseness. When you go back home you're telling your parents that you'll be going for a two week trip, okay?"

And that was when I _really _began to get confused. Two week trip? What was he talking about? I looked up to his face with puzzled eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Drew! Oh, the wedding is simply spectacular!" His answer was cut off and I turned to see a big woman dressed in purple—matching that big head of purple hair. She smiled at Drew and then looked at me. "Posy, I believe this is the first time we meet. I'm Molly and I know your father quite well. Speaking of your father, where is he?"

"O-oh, he's—" I stuttered, not knowing what to say. Luckily I was saved by Drew. First time I'd ever said _that_.

"He's getting things ready for tonight. Molly, you're coming, yes?" I watched as the green-haired arrogance transformed into such a different person. He was always so . . . _serious _around these people.

"Oh, of course!" Molly grinned at me, revealing her shiny bright teeth. "We'll be getting to know each other very well, Posy!"

And with that last word, she grabbed a tall glassful of champagne from a tray held by a waiter and walked away. And there I was again, staring after her, wondering what all of these words meant. I was so confused. First George, then Drew and now this woman! What was I _really _getting myself into?

I was soon to find out.

* * *

"Two week trip?"

I nervously wrung my hands as I stood in front of my parents and Max. Drew had talked me into doing what he wanted me to do. And what else was new? It _was _pretty pathetic of me, I guess. Just to do whatever the hell he told me to. But I did protest and gave him a piece of my mind. In the end, he apologized again and pleaded me to do this and help him. And he promised me that nothing was going to happen to me and that he would tell me _everything _about this afterwards. Apologies were my weakness. When someone was apologizing and looking at me with those _eyes—_I just could not say "no". Especially if the someone was Drew Hayden.

It was awful, really. But what could I do about it?

The wedding had ended about two hours ago and after changing back into my old clothes (_such _a drastic change from that beautiful wedding gown or the violet dress of Posy's), I was pretty much back to being plain old May Maple. I drove back home in that junky old family car. My parents were, needless to say, worried _sick_. I hadn't shown up at the boutique and I completely disappeared since delivering that dress. I guess I was lucky that Laura and Dawn took over the shop for me.

"May?"

I was brought back into reality again and I nodded my head, realizing that my mother had asked something. "Yes, Mom. Two week trip."

_"_With who?" Dad's eyes were sharp as a wolf's. If you didn't know, you would have thought that I was twelve—not twenty-three. Seriously. Hello? I was old enough to take care of myself!

I bit my lower lip and nibbled on it, just like I did every time I was nervous. "Danny. Um, he invited me to this trip to . . . Celebi Island. It was on really short notice and—"

"Danny?" My father interrupted me and arched one of his brows. "That's why he took a leave? To go on vacation?"

"Erm . . ." I racked my brain. Butterflies flapped their wings loudly inside my stomach. I was a terrible liar. My parents were going to see right through me! Of course it sounded perfect when Drew and I discussed what to say to my parents. Danny _was _in some island—together with Posy. And he _was_ somebody that my parents trusted a lot. "Um . . ._"_

"That's pretty fantastic!" I was surprised when Dad smiled, the firm lines on his forehead disappearing. "I been telling him to do that! That boy deserved a break!"

"Oh, it sounds amazing, sweetheart!" Mom grinned at me, her dark brown eyes twinkling idealistically. "He invited you to _Celebi _Island! That's so romantic!"

"Danny and May sitting in a tree . . ." Max started to sing as I inwardly breathed out a sigh of relief. They bought it. They _actually _bought it. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

And for once, Max singing this old rhyme like he was eight years old instead of nineteen—didn't bother me as much. I just stuck my tongue out to him as I ran to my room to pack my things. Drew would be picking me up about a while later—and it was _then _that he would be explaining what exactly I was getting myself into. I entered my room, took a quick shower and changed into a nice blouse and skirt. I felt an urge to tell somebody about what happened today. Definitely not my parents or Max (as he was the _biggest _tattletale ever)—but one of my friends.

I picked Dawn. Sure, she was going to get all emotional and dramatic about this but she still was my best friend. And she knew exactly about my feelings for Drew. I picked up my cellphone and dialed her number as I opened my closet. The dial tone rang for about three times before she answered:

"Oh my God! May Maple, where have you been the entire day? Gosh, your parents called me about a billion times and I sent you like _thousands _of text messages! You owe me, May. I had to take the day off from my _work _to help Laura! She was practically dying, dealing with the customers alone! You better have a good excuse for this!"

Imagine all of the above jumbled up together, leaving Dawn's lips as fast as the speed of light. Completely incomprehensible. Although _I _understood. Some skills that you just pick up after spending years with Dawn Berlitz. "Hello Dawn, I'm fine, thank you very much for asking." I said sarcastically, dragging one of my suitcases from under my bed and piling some clothes inside.

"God, May!"

"All right, all right. Just calm down. Jesus." I sat myself on the floor and took a deep breath. "Okay so . . . I was out the entire day because I was with Drew!"

"_What?_" Dawn shrieked from the other end. I had to hold the phone away from my ear with a wince as she began to scream. "You are fucking kidding me! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! No way! How? Why? What happened? Hello, May? I am like dying for the four-one-one!"

"Well I'll tell you if you'll just _let me speak_! And not damage my ear . . ." I rolled my eyes, satisfied with the amount of clothes piled in. I then walked over to my dressing table and picked up my bottles of make-up and perfume. "Well after that wallet incident, I didn't see Drew . . . until about a week ago when he came to Blessed Blue! To look for a wedding dress for his fiancée! She's the Posy I talked on the phone with and she's super gorgeous."

"Gosh. The story starts off _tragic_!"

"I know. But it gets better though, I guess." I threw the bottles into the suitcase, above my clothes and slammed it shut. That would do for two weeks. "Since Drew was already marrying this girl, I thought that I should give her my dress—since it really was no use for me to hang on to it! Posy told me to deliver it _today_, to her home because today was the day of their wedding!"

"Oh my God! But what happened?"

"Long story short, she left him. Ran off with Danny to some Caribbean island. Drew asked me to step in as his bride. And now I'm about to go off to a two-week trip with him for something."

"_What?"_

I was about to answer when I heard two long 'beeps' of a car horn from outside. I ran to my window to see Drew's black sports car parked outside my house. He was here already! I would just have to explain Dawn everything later. I picked up my suitcase and hurriedly said into the phone: "Gotta go now! Talk to you later, chicka!"

"May! Wait!" I hung up and rushed downstairs. I kind of felt bad to just hang up on Dawn like that but she would understand. And I would call her later to apologize. My parents were at the dinner table with Max. Mom looked up from her plate when she saw me.

"Oh, are you going already?"

"Yup! The car is here. Don't worry, Mom. I'll be fine! I'll call you guys once I get there, okay?" I hugged her, and then Dad and then moved to Max—but he wouldn't let me. For a nineteen year old, he was pretty much still like a baby inside. Probably was afraid of cooties.

"Have a safe trip, May!"

I smiled, nodding and then waved to them all as I headed out of the house. Drew's car was across the road and he was standing, leaning against it—dressed in a navy blue sweatshirt and jeans. I crossed the street and rushed over to him. When he saw me, he smirked.

"Took you some time, slowpoke."

"Whatever! Just be glad that I'm even here." I threw in my suitcase in the back of the sports car and helped myself into the passenger seat. Drew soon joined me, seating himself beside me in front of the wheel and started the car. As we began to drive off of my road, I asked him where we were going.

"Impatient, are we? Not very far. Just sit tight and relax. We'll get there."

"Drew!"

"May!" He mocked me with a smirk on his stupid face as I suppressed an urge to kick him. Stupid guy still wouldn't tell me where the hell we were going. Ugh!

He was right though. It wasn't a very long drive, but it was full of turns through some roads that weren't very familiar to me. Before I knew it, Drew stopped the car in a wide clearing. In the middle of a forest. What the f—? I looked at the green-haired man beside me in a confused expression but he just smirked at me. Okay, something was seriously wrong here. And it was starting to scare me a little bit. What if Drew was some serial killer and he brought me here to kill me? What if I was going to be kidnapped? What if—

My thoughts were cut by the sound of a loud hum that got louder and louder each second. Wind picked up and swirled my hair all around. I looked up at the sky, even more puzzled. And my mouth just dropped open when I saw a huge helicopter descending. Lights blinked from it and I was awestruck. Never in my life had I seen a real helicopter before. I turned to Drew, to see if he was surprised at this—but he seemed calm and cool. As if he knew this was going to happen. And I guess he did.

The helicopter lowered and lowered until it finally reached the ground with a huge roar. The metal door swung open and I squinted my eyes at the familiar figure. It was when I saw the pile of deep violet hair that I recognized who it was. _Molly!_

It was all starting to seem like a weird dream, second by second. I pinched myself to see if it was—and winced. Okay, so it wasn't a dream. Then _what was it? _A helicopter? Molly? Why was I even here? Drew suddenly opened the car door and was about to get out when I exclaimed something that I had to know or I would go crazy: "_W__hat_ is going on?"

The green-haired man ignored me as he walked over to the helicopter. I bursted out of the car door, not being able to handle any of this anymore. I had no idea what was happening. That stupid ass had promised that he would explain! When he reached the entrance of the helicopter, he turned back to me and motioned me to come over.

"Come_ on, _Posy!"

Posy. I was Posy again. Of course. Molly was there. But—but . . .

I dragged my suitcase from the car and started to make my way to Drew. "I'm not getting on until you tell me what's happening!"

The big, purple-haired woman looked from the helicopter with a puzzled expression. "Drew, you didn't tell her yet?"

"It's not a problem, Molly." He climbed onto the helicopter and took my hand, dragging me up. I let out cries of protest but Drew dragged me up on board and almost immediately the chopper began to lift off of the ground with a huge whir. My heart pounded in my chest and I held onto Drew for my life's sake as he pulled me up on board. My suitcase fell from my hand and I watched in agony as it opened in the air and all of my clothes, makeup and perfume dropped onto the ground. The glass bottles smashed as it hit against the cement ground.

The door to the copter closed and I shut my eyes, breathing in and out rapidly, shaking because of the close-to-death encounter. When I opened my eyes, a little bit calm (although it definitely wasn't a word I should be using at the moment), I faced five people looking at me—minus Drew and Molly. I noticed how all of them were seated in . . . _couples. _Man and woman, man and woman, man and woman . . .

I grabbed onto Drew's arm and looked up at him in shock. "D-Drew . . . what is going on?"

He looked down at me with a smirk. Flicking the chatruese hair away from his face, he muttered something that made my stomach drop.

"_We're going to rob a casino."_

_

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_

Author's Note:

Yeahh. :)

REVIEW. Ily all.

_-Suzie x_

_

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_

_Edited: 4th September '10_


	11. Undiscovered

Author's Note: It's been FRIGGIN FOREVER. I know. And I'm sorry :( I hate school.  
But I promised an update around Thanksgiving. And here it is :) You can't say I didn't keep my word.

* * *

| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

_11_

"_**U**ndiscovered" _

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

_

* * *

_

_"I'm not lost, I'm not lost. Just undiscovered."_

* * *

It was sort of weird the way that despite all the strange and unusual happenings that were occurring, the first thing I thought about was my _suitcase_. Every item I would _survive _on for the next two-weeks was in that bag. Which meant I would go around smelling like a dump and that would really win these strangers over. _Strangers. _I finally snapped back to reality and my brain did a little recap for me, reminding me of what the important thing was. I was sitting on the floor of a helicopter that was whirring in the air at about the speed of freaking light. Surrounded by criminals. To rob a casino. I seriously _must _be dreaming.

I guess I must have been staring at Drew's face like a complete and utter idiot because I saw the corners of his mouth twitching. _Oh no._ He was absolutely _not_ about to give me that horrible, annoying, good-for-nothing, _sexy_ smirk! Immediately after having that thought, I back-pedeled. _Sexy?_ Really, May? Oh, whatever. There was a little more serious situation going on here. Seriously. Andrew Hayden had just told me that we were going to rob a casino. Rob an_ 'effing _casino.

"I see you're still confused." The smooth voice of Molly's cut into my thoughts and I diverted my attention to her. She spoke loudly, over the whir of the helicopter. She gave me a smile and pulled some of her hair away from her face. "No worries, Posy. I can tell that this is your first time—I remember _my _first time. It was scar-_ree_. But you'll get the gist of it."

_Um. We are robbing a casino!_ I wanted to scream at her. _Not losing a virginity! _I mean—last time _I _checked, robbing was considered to be _illegal._ I instantly imagined myself sitting alone in a dark, gray jail cell and shuddered at the thought.

"Hey, isn't this George's daughter?" Somebody said and I turned towards row of couples that were sitting beside each other. The one who had just spoke was a man with thick brown hair in spikes. He flashed me a big grin.

"Yes, she is, Oak." I heard Drew answer with just the slightest hint of menace in his voice.

The guy's grin never left his face. He stared at me up and down and his eyes gleamed over as if satisfied by what he saw. I blushed a little, unable to control myself. I mean, you had to admit, it was a little boost to the female ego when _somebody _appreciates your image. "Posy Donahue, huh? You've been quite the talk for the past few years and finally we meet! You're every bit gorgeous as they say. Name's Gary Oak, pleased to meet ya!"

"T-thanks?" I stuttered out like a complete moron. Way to make a first impression.

But Gary didn't seem to mind it that much. He seemed like one of those smooth guys that were always surrounded by women. I had to admit, if I weren't so shaken up by everything that was happening, I would say that he was _hot_. Dressed in a leather black race jacket and denim cuffs—he looked like your typical bad boy. And well, he _was _your typical bad boy. "Why don't you sit?" His voice interrupted my thoughts as he motioned his hand over to the row of seats facing him. "It's a long ride, better get comfortable."

"I think I know very well how to make her feel comfortable, _Oak_." Drew looked annoyed as he came towards me and grabbing my waist, lifted me off the floor of the helicopter. I squeaked in surprise but Drew just flashed me a glare as he carried me towards the seats. Uh, okay, mood change much? Though it wasn't to say I wasn't _amused_. Watching Drew getting all mad because Gary was somewhat hitting on me. It could well be an act but the jealousy sure didn't look like it was pretend.

I tried not to get my hopes up. It was Drew after all. But it'd be a lie to say that I didn't blush while he carried me. Stupid me.

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Molly practically cooed into my face as she sat next to a man with graying brown hair. He smiled at me when our eyes met. It was sort-of strange, so to say. I mean—with all of these strangers facing you. Drew and I were the only ones on the other side of the helicopter.

Molly proceeded to introduce me to all of the couples that were facing me. "That's Vanya Mokronosov. Gary's partner." Molly grinned, motioning her hand towards the woman seated at the very top of the row of seats. She was around my age with an attractive facial-structure. I guessed that she was Russian. A gorgeous blonde criminal who was Russian—now that was certainly cliche. "Vanya, that's Posy. George's daughter."

She only arched her perfectly done eyebrows and murmured: "I see." Her voice was thick with an accent. I felt flustered, little and underpowered under the gaze of cold and blue eyes. There was a certain element in Vanya that chilled me. So I was relieved when Molly's voice rang out again.

"That's Jonathan, my husband and partner." The purple-haired woman wore a smile on her face as she looked at the man beside her. He was the one with the graying brown hair that smiled at me earlier on. He looked really friendly, flashing a big grin. Much friendlier than Vanya, that was for sure.

"Hey Posy, nice to meet you! Just call me Jonno. I know you're all very new to this entire experience, but don't worry, Mol and I will make sure that you're at ease and comfortable with what you're doing." Jonathan had a nice voice, I found myself noting. A little bit on the high side, but it dripped with charm and . . . diplomacy. He smiled some more. "We're _so _sorry that your honeymoon with Drew has to be something like this but I promise you, once we're done, you two can celebrate your honeymoon anywhere you want—as long as you want."

I tried to smile in sheer politeness, but it came out as a weird grimace. Jonno was a _little _bit close to jumping off the border of kindness and go towards smothering. "It's no problem, don't worry about it. I mean—this job's far more important, right? And thanks for the support!"

I tried to stay in character. From what I'd seen, Posy Donahue was a confident, gorgeous woman who was bursting with energy. She was also familiar with the entire 'criminal' scene and wouldn't be so terrified to death at the thought of robbing a casino. I knew that I should probably be freaking out, but somehow, although I was nervous, I knew that everything was going to turn out okay. I had Drew after all and he promised that nothing bad was going to happen to me . . .

"And the final two are Allie and David." Molly smiled at me, and pointed towards the final two that I hadn't met yet. They looked quite plain and similar, with dark brown hair and glasses over tiny eyes. They nodded a 'hello' to me and I smiled back. "But they're going to be working with the technical side of things, so you won't be seeing them often." The purple-haired woman grinned, finishing off her introductions. "Well, that's it! Basically, you and Drew, Jonno and I and Vanya and Gary will be working along side each other to carry out this thing successfully. You'll be with us the most."

"That sounds fantastic," I had to pretend and add a little bit of enthusiasm in my voice. "It's good to meet everyone."

A little murmur arose from everyone facing me, something along the lines of "it's nice to meet you too". I pressed a little smile onto my face, leaned back to the cool walls of the thundering helicopter and let my thoughts run wild. Drew glanced at me with a little smirk a few times, and I flashed him death-glares each and every time. He seriously had some explaining to do once we were alone. I closed my eyes, tired by all of the commotion that took place. And within a few minutes, I managed to fall asleep, despite how loud the chopper was rumbling.

* * *

"May." I awoke to a familiar, soft voice calling name. "C'mon, we're here."

I let a low groan escape my mouth. I realized that my back was aching and my shoulders felt like they were being pressed down by ten million pounds. I squinted my eyes open, to stare into the deepest, darkest shade of emerald. A tiny gasp made its way out of my throat. Drew's face . . . so close to mine. Well that certainly woke me up.

I sat up straight, to notice that the helicopter had stopped whirring. Everything was still and behind Drew, the front door to the chopper was open and everyone was outside already. Sunlight streamed inside the copter. It was early morning and we had arrived. We were in La Rousse. I couldn't help but wonder whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Drew outstretched his palm towards me and I grasped it, using it to lever myself off of the seat. My entire body was aching and I just wanted a nice, soft bed to rest myself. The ride was long and uncomfortable. It was to my surprise that Drew didn't utter a single arrogant word as he guided me towards the entrance of the helicopter. Usually he'd be saying how horrible I looked or something. I guess I probably should enjoy the moment. Drew being quiet was a rarity.

We stepped outside to the cool breeze and it instantly refreshed me. I had a chance to take a look around and La Rousse wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. But that was explainable, as we were in a deserted clearing in the middle of nowhere, really. The _real_ city appeared far from here. I looked in confusion at all the people I had met a few hours ago. Vanya had her arms crossed over her chest, her blue eyes set straight in front of her, looking determined. Jonno and Molly were standing together, whispering. David and Allie were merely just standing there. Gary was beside Vanya, but looked over towards me to smile. I had to return it.

Drew noticed. He rolled his eyes and grumbled: "So Oak is making moves towards you. Well he surely has bad taste. With somebody like Vanya by his side, he still gawks at May Maple? Psh."

I casted a sideways glare at him. His little absence of arrogance before was instantly missed. "Well I'm sorry if he finds me attractive and can appreciate _real_ beauty. Unlike some people I know of."

"Oh, seriously now?" Drew smirked at me. "Real beauty? He probably finds your _name_ attractive. He thinks you're a Donahue. And that's why he's trying to get close to you."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Whatever, Drew." I stretched a little and yawned. "Why are we standing here anyway?"

Before Drew could answer, four black limousines roared in through a little curve of the road. My mouth dropped. What more surprises could there _possibly_ be? Everybody around me looked completely at ease and I could tell that all of this wasn't new to them. Drew elbowed my slightly with a smirk on his face. "Never seen a limo before?"

I closed my mouth and narrowed my eyes at him with a 'hmmph!' Stupid annoying Drew.

The limos roared over to us, stopping at each of the individual couples. The chauffeurs stepped out of the driver seat and elegantly walked around to escort us inside. I was ushered in with Drew right on my heels. He heaved himself onto the leather cushion seat beside me and the door was slammed shut. A second later, the car started and drove smoothly out of the clearing, leaving the helicopter behind. My mouth dropped slightly again as I had a chance to marvel at the inside of the limo. It was true that I had never been inside one before—_or _see one outside of television for that matter. I sniffed slightly. It smelled of leather seats and expensive polish. My eyes rolled back to my head—this was _serious_ luxury.

"Oh . . . my God." I whispered, reaching out to touch the smooth mahogany of the little bar table. There were drinks—_lots_ of drinks. A tiny refrigerator sat in the compartment underneath the table. Stereo speakers that were on the walls blasted some loud music. Purple lights flashed from above. It was like a mobile dance-floor.

"Yeah, it's all pretty divine for a barbarian, isn't it?"

I gritted my teeth and tore my gaze away from the extravagance. Drew. Almost forgot that that bastard was here. He gave me one of his trademark flick of the hair and the deep emerald eyes twinkled in amusement. "Drew, now that we're alone, mind explaining what the _hell_ I'm doing here?"

"Come on, May. Relax. You're in good hands." He smirked at me and dragged his bottom towards the bar. "Want a drink?"

"You promised you would explain!" I protested and crossed my arms over my chest. My mouth _was _dry, despite of myself, and I had to murmur: "Yeah, I wouldn't mind one."

The next couple of minutes were filled by the sound of glasses tinkling as Drew proceeded to mix things together. With a final squeeze of a lime, he poured the mixture into two cocktail glasses and handed one over to me. "We're here to rob a casino."

"I think I got that fact!" I exclaimed and sipped the green-ish liquid with a bit of reluctance. My eyes went straight open with the burst of flavors that it produced. My tongue went on fire with the acidity of the lime, the vodka and this incomprehensible flavor that reminded me of ponies galloping across an open land. Man, that tasted _good_.

"You think you can let me finish?" Drew rolled his eyes. "This isn't as bad as you think it is though. I own the casino."

"_What?" _I tore myself away from that heavenly tasting liquid long enough to stare at Drew as if he were an idiot. Thought that day would never come. "Um . . . pardon me for asking, _Drew_. But what exactly is the logic in robbing your own casino?"

He rolled his eyes a second time. "I was getting towards that . . ." Drew drank a little of the cocktail and continued to speak. "It's _supposed_ to be owned by me. It's a family business that was my Dad's before he died. But I was underaged and not yet legible to inherit it. So my Dad's brother got a hold of it. He's an evil man, lives off of rigging people off at the casino. There's a very few chance that somebody actually wins the jackpot at the casino—and when they do, his men are always ready to beat to crap out of the poor person who thought it was their lucky day and get all his money back."

"Wow that sounds horrible." I commented. "But you're legible now, right? Why don't you take it back?"

"I would if I could," Drew's head fell to his hands and he sighed. "I work with George, doing criminal business—but trust me, it's all supposed to be for the good of people. I rob off these criminals, taking all of the money that don't deserve, back to the rigged victims. It's still considered to be a crime for God knows what reason." He pressed his lips and with a nod of encouragement from me, he continued to talk. "My uncle knows that I'm a 'criminal'. He's refusing to give me back the company and threatens that if I take him to court, all of my crimes will be revealed."

"Oh . . ." I found difficulty in knowing what to respond. I set the empty cocktail cup down on the bar table and looked at Drew. "Well, in that case, I'm happy to help you."

Drew lifted his face and looked at me with a little hint of a smile. "Really?"

I nodded and returned the smile. "Really. It's for the good of the public anyway."

"Thanks, May." He showed real gratitude in his eyes. "This job is really important for me. And I know I don't say this often, but I owe you one."

I giggled. "I'll hold you to that."

And then we looked into each other's eyes. It was probably about a quarter of a second, but I felt the tiniest spark set itself off in my stomach. It was like the first time we met, over four years ago when he paid for my meal at a restaurant. The waiter coming to tell me with a smile on his face that a certain "gentleman" had covered my bill and then motioned his hand towards the green-haired man. That . . . _connection_ I felt through that gaze, even though it was through a room full of strangers . . .

It was like that time when he looked at me from beside Posy at my boutique, his eyes sparkling.

That intensity, that spark, that connection.

It was all right there.

"Oh, um, before I forget." Drew tore his eyes away from mine and a little bit of disappointment shot through me. I didn't want that moment to end. But I ignored it as I watched in curiosity at him digging through his pocket. Finally Drew pulled out two little plastic-covered cards and handed one to me. "Our new identities for two weeks."

"You mean new, _new_ identity." I smiled wryly at him and looked down at the card. It was an ID. According to the card, I had become from May Maple to Posy Donahue to Sierra Ersatz from Saffron City. I glanced at the picture and noticed that it was me—but with _black_ hair. Seriously? I elbowed Drew slightly and pointed to the hair. "Um, what is this?"

He smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Completely new identities, May. And that means a disguise."

"You're kidding me! I have to . . ."

"Dye your hair." Drew finished off for me and smirked some more. "Not that it'll change your ugly face."

"Drew!"

He laughed and flicked some hair away from his eyes. "Just a semi-permament dye, nothing you can't wash off."

I curled my lip but I had to admit, I was relieved. I loved my shade of brown hair and some disgusting black dye was not about to cover it all up. "What are _you _going to look like?"

Without saying a word, Drew handed his ID card to me. I looked down at it and had to laugh. Apparently he was Nathaniel Blue from Lavender City. With _brown _hair and _brown _eyes. Drew Hayden without his signature green hair and emerald eyes. Now that was a sight to see.

"I can't wait until you become Nathaniel Blue." I told Drew, sticking my tongue out. He rolled his eyes, flicking his hair.

"I'll still look hot. Hotter than Sierra Ersatz."

"Oh, _please_. In your dreams!"

I stuck my tongue out at him again and then smiled to myself as the limousine began to enter downtown La Rousse. There were so many people, so many lights, so many buildings . . . I could hardly wait to go exploring. I had to admit, it was a little bit exciting to be arriving in a completely metropolitan city like La Rousse . . . especially with the new identities. I felt like a brand new person.

Blue and Ersatz . . . hmm. We would make good partners in crime.

* * *

Author's Note: Now you get where the title is from! :)

I know this chapter was probably crappy and everything but I'd appreciate nothing more than a little review! Feel free to point out my areas of weaknesses and give some constructive criticism because I know this was _not_ the best. :)

But I updated! Yay!

-_Suzie x_


	12. Butterfly

Author's Note:

Oh my God, I had to write this ALL over again like twice thanks to FF's lovely Doc Manager deleting everything. But anyway, finally gotten around to an update (: Summer's coming soon and so I've gotten a little bit of extra time.

I'm so sorry about how long it's been. I hope you all are still sticking to this story!

All right, enjoy! Thank you to all the reviewers, btw. You all are absolute love.

* * *

| ~ | ~ |** B **l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

_12  
"**B**utterfly"_

-_SuzieQuaKes_-

* * *

_"I'm your pole and all you're wearing is your shoes. You got soul, you know what to do to turn me on."_

* * *

The next hour or so passed by in a blur. A blur of bright colors, tall buildings and basically everything to gaped and gasped at. The limousine moved slowly through downtown in the jammed traffic, not to say that I minded. In comparison to the small little town of Petalburg, downtown La Rousse seemed like something out of a movie. Flashing lights blinked from every direction, skyscrapers seemed like they loomed out into the sky for miles and miles without end and more importantly—the _people_. The people were the most interesting of all.

Different sizes, different shapes, different ethnics . . . They all amazed a girl from a small town like me. In Petalburg, pretty much everyone knew everyone. In a metropolitan city like La Rousse, it was a different case. Businessmen, teenagers, break dancers, models, children being led by frantic adults, oh it was just endless. I gasped and giggled at everything. _But_ of course, with Drew Hayden by my side, it was never an easy thing to admire the sights. Of course he had to take advantage of every opportunity possible to poke fun at me. That jerk.

And despite it all, I knew that I wouldn't be enjoying this trip so much if I were with somebody else. Drew might be a complete and utter pain in the behind—but he was my _favorite _pain in the behind. Not that I would ever admit this to him. He needed no further encouragements to shoot his ego out further.

"Hey, look over there. That's the place."

Speaking of the devil, Drew's voice interjected into my thoughts and I looked over from the window. The green-haired man, who was holding a cup of plain scotch in his hands, was looking towards a grand-looking building. I shifted in my seat and lowered my head to see what it was.

The building was _huge_. Shaped into a circular dimension, it had millions and millions of pieces of mirrors reflecting off the surface. The sunlight that was falling over the building reflected back into sky. I also noticed the never-ending stream of people making their way in and out of the entrances that were guarded by two big burly men in matching suits. The area which surrounded it was gigantic, with cars of different models and colors parked.

I didn't have to ask what the place was—as the big block letters lighting up clearly indicated what it was to me.

_CASINO VALENCIA. _

Oh. So _that _was the casino that we were all going to rob. By the looks of it, Drew's uncle had really spiced the place up. Just looking from the outside, I could tell that it was a place that millions and millions of money were made every single day. Those guards that stood by the entrance were nothing, I found myself thinking. Who knew what kind of other security measures were inside.

"Drew, are you sure that this is a good idea?" I asked in hesitance, leaning back into the comfortable leather seats. "I mean, I don't know . . ."

Drew looked towards me, his green eyes striking into my own. They sparkled as he gave me a smirk. "What? Scared?"

I rolled my eyes in response. Couldn't you ever talk to this guy _normally_ without getting a smart-ass remark in return? "Well, excuse me but I _am _scared of getting myself killed out here."

"Oh come on, May. It'll be fun."

My lips pulled tightly together, I gave him 'the Look'. Like honestly? Fun? How could he possibly be using such a word? I had pretty much calmed down about this entire affair after realizing that it was for the good of the public—but after seeing how big and grand this place was—I didn't know if I could go through with it. It was a crime, a real actual crime.

I guess my face amused him, as Drew laughed with a slight roll of his eyes. "Don't worry that little head off. Trust me, it'll be okay."

I couldn't say anything more, because the limousine had pulled up to a driveway in which in front of us, Vanya and Gary were getting out from theirs. I realized that it was a hotel, as a bellboy with a trolley was helping to pick up their luggage from the trunk of the car. Molly and Jonno were already following their bellboy inside of the hotel and the other two were nowhere in sight.

I looked towards Drew as the little man clad in a uniform had finished dropping off the luggage and the car drove off. "Are we seriously staying in this hotel?"

The guy smirked, before turning to look at me with that handsome face of his. "'Fraid so, darling."

I had nothing more to say as another bellboy opened the door of the limo and greeted me with a boyish smile. "Good afternoon, ma'am."

"Good afternoon." I murmured back in response as I stepped outside to the warm wind. It blew my hair back as I walked towards the entrance of the hotel. It was clearly one of the grandest hotels in La Rousse. Two gold revolving doors on each side with a huge glass door in the middle, being pulled to visitors by men in the same kind of gold and black interlaced uniforms. It was a huge building, about sixty, seventy stories, I estimated. _The Plaza—_it read on the glass doors. Well it was certainly a plaza indeed.

"Don't just stand there, idiot girl." Once again, my lovely Drew Hayden had interrupted my thoughts. He was beside me, holding out his arm to hold, another stupid smirk on his stupid face. Well, we had to pretend like we were a married couple anyway. Growing under my breath at him, I linked my arm with him in a huff and stalked inside of the lobby of the grand hotel.

* * *

"Oh_. My. _God."

I just had to exclaim as the door to the suite was opened and the bellboy dropped off our luggage. Well, _Drew's _luggage. Mine was pretty much in ruins in Petalburg. The surprises just didn't seem to stop today, I found myself thinking as I walked inside the room.

It was dimly light, the lights soft enough to create a sort-of magical glow around the atmosphere. The little 'living room' as it could've been called was filled with luxurious leather couches. The rug that covered the floor was spotless, adorned with a pretty pattern of red and orange.

I heard Drew mumbling some words to the bellboy as he gave a tip and dismissed him, but I ignored that as I walked further into the suite. There was a kitchenette to the side of the little pathway which led to the bedroom. I took a peek inside and smiled at the tiny refrigerator and stainless steel cooking utensils. All sorts of little treats and munchies were placed in a basket on the shiny marble-lined counters.

The bedroom was even better than what I had expected after seeing the suite. The huge bed looked so comfortable as layers of layers of bedspreads covered it. White lace fabric hung from the canopy, falling softly over the bed. There were petals scattered on the bed, rose petals. I smiled softly as I gently took one in my hands.

To the side of the room was a glass sliding window, which led out to a tiny balcony with two deck chairs set up. I sashayed over towards it, pulled the door open and stepped outside into the La Rousse air. In front of me was a magnificent view of downtown, the bright lights, the billboards . . . and the casino. Of course this room was picked for us. It had the best view of the casino.

"Hey."

I whipped back at the sound of a soft voice. Drew stood there, looking less arrogant and haughty than he normally looked. His green hair was swept the side, revealing more of his deep beautiful eyes. His hands were deep inside the pockets of his slacks. He didn't look at me though. His eyes were directed towards the La Rousse skyline.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

I smiled softly and turned back around to gaze at the view. The sky was slowing darkening into evening as the sun spilled orangey rays over the town. Long fingers of red and pink stretched across the horizon as I noticed the birds making their way back home. I placed both of my hands on the rail of the balcony and nodded. "It really is."

I heard the soft padding of Drew's footsteps and soon enough, I saw him place both of his hands on either side of where mine were placed. I blushed as I noticed that he was hovering over me, the scent of his cologne drifting up my nose. I heard the steady breaths that he took before he spoke again. "I always loved this town. _My _town_—_my _home_. I always loved to come to the casino with Dad and whined when I had to stay behind in the car because I was too young to go inside. It seems like things change way too fast . . ."

I glanced down at the ground, before turning around so that I was facing him. He was so close to me, and looked down at me with his bright emerald eyes. My heart—as if on cue, began to speed up three times fast. Drew's eyes were soft as he looked down at me and I couldn't help but stutter as I said, "I-I know."

The green-haired man reached out, a hint of a smile on his face as he whisked a strand of hair away from my face. "And it seems like some things never change. Like the color of your eyes."

My heart-rate sped up even faster if that was possible. I just couldn't describe these feelings that exploded in my heart. I had missed this . . . I'd missed this so much. I missed looking into his eyes. I missed how he whispered. I missed the way his lips carved into the most amazing smile. I missed it all.

Before I had a chance to notice, Drew's face was inching closer and closer to mine. His lips were just there . . . just so close and yet so despairingly far away. I noticed everything, I noticed the familiar bump on his nose, I noticed the sparkle in his eyes, I noticed how smooth his lips seemed. But before they could touch mine and melt into the most amazing kiss, he looked away, taking a step back. My heart hammered in its cage as I wrung my cold hands. Disappointment was surely oozing into me.

"I-I'm sorry. We shouldn't be doing this."

That was all he said, as he turned around and walked back into the suite. I turned around, gripping the metal rail tightly and breathed out. The thump of my heartbeats hadn't slowed down yet.

_Oh, why didn't he just kiss me?_

* * *

_To Posy: _

_I wasn't exactly sure of your size but I estimated. Seeing that you dropped your suitcase, Drew told me to get you some clothes and other stuff you might need._

_I'll see you at dinner,  
Love always.  
_

_Molly. _

"Aw, that's so sweet of her." I gushed as I unzipped a black suitcase that the bellboy had delivered (along with a white box that soon was discovered to be full of accessories and shoes) a couple of minutes after the incident at the balcony. Drew was at the desk, papers spread out in front of him. They were papers that outlined different routes into and out of the casino and all the hidden doors and traps. He had gone straight to work, and completely ignored my presence.

Pulling out a couple of designer blouses, skirts, dresses, I couldn't help but feel giddy like a little girl. I could get used to this life of fancy hotel suites, limousines and designer clothes. Drew had informed me that we were to have a dinner together at the hotel restaurant with the crew (quite awkwardly, might I add) and I had been fussing over what to wear to that _and _the rest of the other days. I couldn't exactly be wearing this old red sweater and grey skirt for all the two weeks. And not to mention, it was so . . . _unglamorous._

"You better be getting ready, May." Drew murmured from his work desk. "We'll be heading out in a bit and you aren't going looking like crap like you do now."

I pressed my lips together and ignored his insult. "And what about you? Aren't you going to be getting up from that desk anytime soon?"

"Don't worry about me, you women take so much longer to get ready anyways."

I gave him a 'hmmph' in response to his extremely sexist (_and_ true) statement and continued to rummage through the items which Molly had bought for me.

An hour later and I was still in the bathroom, working on myself. The dinner was in fifteen minutes and Drew was certainly giving me prompts and all sorts of shouts from outside—all of which I had ignored efficiently. I just wasn't done yet. I stared at myself from the full-length mirror in the bathroom and smiled. I had chosen a long red gown which I found had fitted me perfectly, hugging my curves. The halter top revealed my creamy neck and arms and my hair tumbled across the bright fabric in a chocolatey spill. My makeup had been done to perfection and my lips painted a cherry-red.

I looked satisfactory—to say the least. Well, I knew that I looked more than satisfactory. And Drew was surely going to melt at the sight of it and wonder why he didn't kiss me while he had the chance. I'd show that guy.

"Oh my God, May, would you finish up already? This is the reason why I asked you an hour earlier to get ready—_thinking_ that you'd get yourself done in time. Don't spend time working on making your face look good, not like it ever would anywa—"

Drew's rant was cut off short as I opened the door of the bathroom and gave him the most seductive smile I could muster. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water and it was quite pleasant to see him as the speechless one. Well, well, well. How does it feel now, Mr. Hayden? Drew was dressed up nicely, I found myself thinking. His hair was carefully styled and the black suit he was wearing made him appear to be even leaner. A purple handkerchief darted out of the pocket of his suit.

He stood up from the bed, still looking dazzled at the sight of me. I smirked a little, taking a few steps forward in the heels. Placing a hand on my hip, I twirled in the gown. "Like what you see?"

"M-May, like wow, you cleaned up well for someone with a putrid face."

I couldn't help but laugh a little as he gave a compliment in the best way that he could. Suddenly something in his eyes changed as the bewilderment turned into a twinkle that was more . . . feisty.

His usual smirk slowly made his way to his face, as he took slow steps towards me. My confidence dropped a little as I took a step back. The glint inside his eyes surprised me.

Drew took more steps towards me as I stepped back and back until I was pressed against the cool wall of the suite. He smirked at me as he closed the little space in between us and whispered: "You should never taunt me like that, May."

I opened my mouth to speak, finding no words coming out. My heart was thumping, butterflies were flapping widely in my stomach. I was just expecting to dazzle him with how I looked and then get amused by his inability to remain so smug and arrogant. But now it seemed like the other way around—like he was the one that was mocking _me_.

Drew's hands caught my waist as he lifted me up and pinned me into the wall. I just couldn't speak . . . and at the same time, I couldn't help but get a _little _turned on by the way that he was so close to me, so pressed up against me. I smelt his cologne, as his hand brushed my thighs and hitched the skirt up. The feel of his cold fingers on my thighs made me close my eyes, a soft moan escaping my lips.

I didn't realize I made such a sound until I opened my eyes and saw Drew smirking at me. His head dipped into the curve of my neck, his lips grazing it softly, the warm breath against my skin driving me crazy. I had to end this . . . I found myself thinking. I could not let him take control of this.

"W-we're getting late for the dinner." I whispered, feeling slightly disappointed myself. I didn't want to end this. I was enjoying this way too much to end it. But I didn't want him to be the one in control.

Drew's head lifted from my neck as a slow smile spread onto his face. His emerald eyes twinkled with dark lust. "I think we can be a _little _late."

I stared up into his face again, and he looked down at me, his green eyes shining so brightly. I didn't even know what was happening, but what he said just made my heart beat and pump ten times as more blood. I found his face inching closer and closer to mine—just like how it was the last time—and my heart began to thrash in its cage. I swallowed hard as Drew's breath gently fell on my face and I closed my eyes.

Before I could even think anything, something warm crashed down on my lips. Drew's. They were so soft and firm, pressing up against mine and all thoughts left my head. It was Drew kissing me again. Drew kissing me like he had, so many times in the past. His lips—they fitted so perfectly with mine. Fitted like two pieces of a puzzle.

The kiss deepened as our desires increased and all I could focus on was to keep up with the intensifying pace in which Drew's lips were moving against mine. He parted them, let a little hint of his tongue slip inside and then pulled away like a tease. A little fluttery moan escaped my throat and even I surprised myself with it. I felt the smirk against his lips, as he darted his tongue across my lips and pushed its way into my mouth.

My hands were tangled up in his soft silky hair, and I felt his arms wrapped around my waist. One arm snaked under the skirt again, this time his hand reaching further up my thighs. The sudden warmth made chills sneak down my back. I felt his hands roam around my back, his fingertips tracing over my bare skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind.

He suddenly pulled his lips away from mine and started kissing my neck. I gasped, arching my back further, letting a little moan escape my lips. Drew groaned back in response as he placed butterfly kisses down my neck. A sharp nip made me shiver and moan as I realized that Drew had bitten down on the skin. His tongue darted out to lick the area softly, as if to make it better and I knew that I would probably be having a hickey. But that didn't matter at the moment.

_Nothing mattered._

* * *

Author's Note:

Okay, so wow. Haha. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself :P

This chapter was more CS-y than the others and I hope that you guys enjoyed it. I pretty much rushed through it, wanting to get it out. It's like 1:30am right now, and I have school tomorrow but I desperately wanted to give you guys an update.

So! Please review :)

Thank you so much!

_-Suzie x_


	13. Tonight I Love You

Author's Note: 

Hey guys! I recently got back my inspiration and a little bit of love back for CS so why not incorporate it into an update? :D Firstly, I just want to say thank you for the reviews! Of course, I did expect a little more but I'm lucky enough to have you guys sticking with me (:

I think this update will be a little longer than the past few, since I have more time to work on it. Okay, enjoy!

Dedicated to Samia, for helping me upload this to FF (: I lubbb you teww much, hun. –hearts-

* * *

| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E** r s a t z | ~ | ~ |

_13_

"_**T**__onight I Love You__"_

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

* * *

"_I just want to look in your eyes and see, all that you have looking back at me. I think tonight, I love you."_

* * *

Drew's head lingered at the crook of my neck, placing little kisses and nipping occasionally. His lips fluttered like the wings of a butterfly and I couldn't help but sigh out in bliss with my eyes closed shut. Everything had left my head—I couldn't even focus on keeping my eyes open. My fingers raked through his silky hair as he pulled away from my neck and looked into my eyes, his hair everywhere and his shirt crumpled. I had never seen Drew look so . . . _sexy_ as he captured my lips again. He pulled one of my legs up and around his waist as he pinned me to the wall. I felt a little heat escaping my core as my skirt hitched up and the area of my lace panties rubbed against the crotch of his pants where a growing bulge was prominent.

_Oh damn, damn, damn._

"Drew." I groaned as I tugged at the bottom of his dress shirt. I wanted him—no _needed _him so much. His upper coat was gone, taken off in a moment of desire. Never letting his lips leave mine, his shirt was soon torn away from him, the buttons spilling everywhere. It must've been an expensive shirt but we were too caught up in each other to even care. It was tossed across the room—something unnecessary for now. My dress followed straight after as Drew's hand reached towards the back zipper. I felt a smirk against his lips and I would've been infuriated if his tongue wasn't doing me too many pleasures for me to think straight. In a moment of daring, he pulled down the zipper and the dress fell to my ankles in a soft pile of fabric.

Drew pulled away from my lips, his eyes glazing over as he looked down at me, just clad in the new red lingerie set that Molly had picked out especially for me. I felt a little bit of my consciousness return as I attempted to cover myself. At the same time, I bent my head a little so I wasn't so level with that glorious bare chest in front of me. All those chiseled abs . . . A little smirk overtook Drew's features, as if he read my mind. He lowered his head and angled it before he captured my lips again. The kiss was heated and although I desperately wanted to continue with this, I had to stop it. The stupid conscious in my head just wouldn't let me go through with it because it knew how completely wrong this was.

I should not be making out with my ex-fiancé in a hotel suite that was actually meant for him and _his _fiancée. Not that she was anything of the sort _now_ but it didn't make things any less wrong. I had to pull away from his lips. As his lips fell away from mine, his eyes opened again, the bright green looking at me as if he had done something wrong. I bit my lower lip and sighed as I whispered out the words that were probably in both of our heads.

"W-we can't."

Drew looked almost embarrassed as he took a step away from me. I was immediately lowered to the ground and despite how much I missed the feeling of his lips, of his body pressed against mine, the feeling of just _him_—I knew that if we had continued ignoring our better judgments, it would ultimately lead to a one-night-stand that had the word 'regret' written all over it. And I didn't need any further regrets that were caused by Drew Hayden.

"You're right." He murmured and turned away from me so I couldn't see his face. I saw him walk towards his torn shirt, picking it up and tossing it onto the bed. Then he walked over to retrieve his coat. "Sorry May. I got caught up in the moment."

I bit my lip and nibbled on it as a pang entered my heart a little. Caught up in the moment? Was that all it really was for him? A spur of the moment make-out session? I swallowed and scolded myself for being so surprised at this. Of course it meant nothing to him. When did anything that had to do with me _ever _matter to him? I stared, lost in my thoughts, as Drew headed towards his closet to pick out another dress shirt. He turned back at me with a smirk playing on the edge of his lips. Like the past few minutes had never happened and he was back to being his old, annoying self.

"Don't just stand there in your underwear. We have a dinner to get to. I bet everyone's wondering why we're so late."

I suddenly felt angered at the way he could just return to normal like that—like we weren't just oh-so-close to mindless sex just moments earlier. I muttered some curse words under my breath as I crouched down to pick up my dress. Surely my make-up and hair was ruined. Drew had a way to just cause disasters like that. I zipped my dress up in a huff and rushed past Drew to claim the bathroom. As I passed him, I heard him remark:

"Hey, don't take as long as you did the last time. And don't try to taunt me again, May. We all know that it's you who can't resist _me_."

That 'effing jerk! He was acting as if he wasn't the one who had pressed me against the wall and grinded against me with his hard-on. I fought the urge to just turn around and smack him across the face and entered the huge bathroom. Closing the door with a bang, I pressed my palms against the cool marble sink and finally breathed out. Staring at my reflection in that huge oval-shaped mirror, I saw that my lips looked bruised and my neck had several little nip marks. Sighing, I opened the tap and threw cool water on my heated face.

Day One of La Rousse had certainly been interesting.

* * *

As I walked into the hotel restaurant that evening, I knew that I was wrong to judge the day by just the previous encounters. Molly stood up from the table and walked over to us with a big smile ready on her face. She looked nice, I found myself thinking. Her knee-length purple tweed dress matched her big hair that was done in a bun on top of her head. As she approached us, I observed the surroundings of the restaurant. It was dimly lit up and the live band that was on the makeshift stage was playing some kind of slow jazzy tune. Tables were filled with all different sorts of people and they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Waiters and waitresses in matching red and black outfits were scurrying about, orders in their hands.

Our table was already filled, obviously—with only two seats left for Drew and I. We were pretty late; our little lustful rendezvous had killed about twenty-minutes and the fix-up that followed afterwards took around ten. Gary smiled at me from across the table. I didn't know why this guy was still making moves towards me when I _was_ known as Drew's . . . wife. The mere thought made my cheeks flush. I shook it away and tried to smile back at him. Well, not that I minded him flirting with me like that. He _was _pretty hot. And it was always fun to see Drew jealous.

"We were thinking that you two were too busy to join us!" Molly exclaimed, snapping me out of my thoughts. She ushered us to the table, motioning her hand towards the empty seats besides herself and Jonathan. "You know, being a newly married couple and all." She winked and I blushed as I waved my hands frantically.

"No, no! It's not like that . . ." I protested but Drew gripped my waist and pulled me towards him. I glared up at him but he wasn't looking at me. He looked at Molly with a smirk playing on his admittedly perfect lips.

"We just lost track of time because . . ." Drew trailed off, leaving the rest to the imaginations of those who were at the table. I knew that he really wanted this portrayal of him and me as a newly wedded couple to be realistic, but seriously? He helped me into my seat and sat down beside me without another word. Gosh, that guy could really rile me up sometimes.

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur. The smatter of conversation at the table was mainly about the adventures that they had in the past and I couldn't really add anything in. But I didn't mind. I was too preoccupied with the food anyway. The waiters delivered food that was far more scrumptious than anything that I had ever tasted. The main course of the meal, which was a huge stuffed chicken with gravy made me forget about saying anything at all. I slathered up the gravy onto the most delightful melt-in-your-mouth butter biscuits and was having the time of my life.

Drew flashed me little smirks as if to mock how I was gulping the food down. I ignored him. Dinner was soon cleared away from the table and the small blonde waitress brought in a bottle of champagne with six glasses and dessert—apple cobbler with whipped cream topping and chocolate-coated strawberries. I had my eye on the luscious-looking berries when Gary tapped onto his champagne class with a fork. Everybody's attention turned towards the brown-haired man who smiled charmingly as he stood up.

"I'd just like to make a toast. To Posy and Drew—_and_ to our future endeavor." He raised his champagne glass. I didn't have to guess what 'future endeavor' referred to. Of course, the robbing of the casino.

Drew tugged onto my hand as we all stood and raised our glasses in a toast. The entire table smiled at us—Vanya only flashing a court nod in our direction. I felt a blush on my cheeks, not used to this kind of attention. I wondered what everybody would think once they found out that I really wasn't Posy, the daughter of their boss with the millions of riches but a small-town girl who _used_ to be involved with Drew. Well, in a scam relationship.

I smiled nervously back at everybody and gulped down my champagne and of course being the awkward May Maple I was, started to cough as it went the wrong way. Once more, the attention was turned towards me.

"You okay there?" Jonno asked in a concerned voice and I nodded, forcing the tears out of my eyes. Drew bent to level with me and patted my back a little. As his cologne drifted up my nose, I blushed. We were a little too close for me to be comfortable. But if Drew felt the same way, he sure didn't show it. As my coughs faded and I could finally look up through my watery eyes, his endless emerald stared back at me.

The concern that was evident in his eyes was undeniable. Either he was an excellent actor or he really _was _worried about me. I didn't count on the latter. "Hey, you good?" He whispered down towards me and I bit my lower lip and nodded, forcing away a blush that was surely making its way onto my face.

"I-I think."

"Aw, now look at that! Andrew—the love you have for her is all over your face!" Molly gushed and I felt my blush deepen as we pulled away from each other in a hurry. I cleared my throat as I sat back down awkwardly.

"Oh come on, Molly. Just checking if she was all right." Drew answered, his tone just as awkward. Then he quickly flicked his hair as a way to regain his composure. "God only knows how much trouble she'd get into if I weren't there."

I glared up at him as he smirked back in response. Sometimes that guy just drove me nuts. "Hey!" I cried out, even sounding childish in my ears. But I didn't care. "I'm right here, you know! And I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Drew flashed a sideway glance at me as he sipped on his champagne slowly. All cool and collected. That managed to fire me up even more. Why was _he_ so calm when I was so infuriated? A smirk played on the edge of his lips. "Really now? You aren't proving that point too well."

Everyone at the table started to chuckle as they watched us. I let out a huff of breath in exasperation and muttered some words under my breath at him. Drew merely smirked back in response as we all started to dig into the dessert. I helped myself to a big slice of cobbler and some berries and was having a grand time thinking of insults that were directed at Drew. Just as I was having fun calling him a piefaced jerk-head, Molly announced something that caught my attention.

"I got in contact with George." She said, in a voice that sounded more serious than she had ever sounded. At the sound of his name, everybody hushed down and looked towards her. George? I found my thoughts stray away from insulting Drew. Not that I was thinking of any _good _insults anyway. I mean—seriously? A piefaced jerk-head? I shook my head at myself before coming back down to reality. George was Posy's father. And he was the only one—aside from Drew and I—who knew that I was not Posy. Did he tell Molly?

"He told me that he has some other important matters to take care of and that he wants this mission to be done as soon as possible. We start planning, first thing tomorrow. I want all of you to have your disguises ready by tonight." She sounded different from the cheerful Molly that I knew as she instructed us. I found myself thinking that it was odd to be discussing plans to rob a casino in the middle of the hotel restaurant, but as I looked around me, I saw that nobody was really interested in our conversation. Amidst the music playing, people chattering and the tinker of silverware, Molly's voice was droned out.

"Usually we have a couple of weeks to plan." Vanya said in a hushed voice. She played with the edges of the crystal champagne cup and looked at Molly with her serious ice-blue eyes. Molly nodded in response.

"I know. But George wants this to be over by this weekend. This will no longer be a two-week trip. We want to get it done by Saturday. Our planning will take around 3 days. The rest of the two days will be our days of action." The purple-haired woman shrugged her shoulders, looking pained. "That's what he wants and we have to listen to him."

The rest of the table grumbled back in response and I felt myself drifting away again. We would be really robbing this casino in _three _days. A little jitter of nervousness mixed with excitement rushed through my heart. And then I realized something that Molly had said. Disguises by tonight. Disguises. I was to be Sierra Ersatz by tonight. And that meant . . .

Dying my hair.

* * *

"Oh my God, no!"

I was shrieking loud enough for the entire hotel to hear. I wouldn't be surprised if people started knocking down our door, thinking that it was some sort of killer on the loose. Of course, it was none of that sort. It was _worse_. Not that anybody would understand. They would only label me as insane if they saw how much I was freaking out by such a _small _thing. It was only Drew.

Drew holding up a bottle in his hands with a smirk that lighted up his eyes. A bottle that was marked '_L'Oreal Semi-Permanent Hair Dye'._ The color was charcoal black and a girl laughing as she tilted her own head of 'charcoal black' was on the cover of the paper box. Oh, this was so not happening.

We had returned to our suites after the dinner and after changing into pajamas, I was getting ready to hit the sack. Yawning and rubbing my eyes, I was making my way to claim the big rose-petal-scattered bed. Drew could sleep on the couch for all I cared. But of course, he had to stop me by holding up a bottle of hair-dye with a grin that was similar to a Cheshire cat. That bastard. He was holding the bottle as if he were taunting me as he swayed it in front of my face.

"Come on, May. It's only hair dye."

"I am _not_—I repeat, _not_—dying my hair!"

I squealed and then ran past him to the dressing table. Grabbing a baseball cap, I placed it quickly on top of my head as a means to protect my lovely shade of brown. I knew that I was acting foolish and I knew from the moment that Drew told me I was to be Sierra Ersatz that this was inevitable but I simply couldn't bear the thought of _ruining _my hair with some disgusting dye. Even if it was semi-permanent.

Drew started to laugh at me as he approached me, still holding the bottle. I backed into the table as he approached closer and closer. "Come on, May." He repeated, his emerald green eyes shining like two jewels. I could tell that he was having a total ball from seeing me squirm like that. "You heard Molly. We have to be disguised by tomorrow."

"N-no." I could only whisper, as he was so close to me that I could smell his peppermint breath. Drew looked down at me with a smirk. He was so enjoying himself. I took a deep breath and pushed him back slightly and then scurried to the other end of the room.

"May!" The green-haired man groaned, sounding more exasperated than amused. He rolled his eyes as he turned towards to face me. "Are you going to go and dye your hair or not? We don't have time in the morning!"

"What about _you?_" I retorted, huffing and blowing up my bangs. I crossed my arms over the chest of my silk nightie that Molly had picked for me. "As far as I know, _you_ have to be Nathanial Blue. You have to dye your hair _brown_, remember?"

Drew shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant look. He started to take steps towards me again. "Tell you what. You dye your hair black and I'll dye mine brown. Fair, right?"

I frowned and grumbled words under my mouth. I knew that there was no way to escape this. Sighing, I knew that I had to give in. I walked towards him, grabbing the bottle of hair-dye from his hands. Then I stormed into the bathroom. Once I reached inside, I opened the bottle, taking out the instructions and read them over before preparing the dye mixture and bending over at the sink to squirt it onto my hair.

Goodbye beautiful brown locks.

* * *

"I hate you."

I grumbled as I walked out of the bathroom an hour later, my new hair already blow-dried. I pulled the towel over my shoulder and scowled at Drew, only to have it replaced by fits of giggles. Drew was sitting on the couch, rubbing a towel slowly through his hair. I gaped in utter surprise as I saw how his hair was . . . _brown_. It was a funny sight to even think about when he showed me the ID cards and now _here he was_. His hair as brown as how mine was before this stupid dye had turned in black.

"Love you too." He murmured back in response and stood up, rolling his green eyes at how I was laughing so hard. I gripped onto the wooden railing of the bed, my stomach still heaving with laughter. "Seriously May—you don't look all too pretty either. But since when did you ever?"

I stuck my tongue out back at him in response, wiping my teary eyes. "Oh, I'm starting to think this disguise thing isn't such a bad thing after all." I heaved myself onto the soft bed and sighed in content. The sheets felt smooth against my skin as I closed my eyes in bliss. I was tired and worn out from that long day in La Rousse.

I heard the patting of feet as Drew flicked off the lights and I suddenly sat up in bed as Drew climbed into bed beside me. My eyes wide, I couldn't help the blush that formed onto my face. "Y-You're sleeping here?" I didn't know how I would feel about sharing a bed with my ex that I might still be in love with for the next five days. Drew smirked at me as he flicked his now _brown _hair that was falling across his face. I found myself thinking that despite how funny it looked—the green looked so much better. It was just _him_. The signature of Drew Hayden.

"I don't plan on sleeping on that couch, May." His eyes twinkled as he lay himself down on the other side of the huge bed. "If _you_ don't want to sleep here, you can very well take the couch."

I bit and nibbled on my lower lip and blew my black bangs up. I really didn't want to sleep on the couch. As comfortable as it looked, I was sure that I would wake up to find my entire body very sore. And if Drew was going to be such a jerk and sleep beside me, then I shouldn't care either. "I was here first." I protested but Drew just shrugged his shoulders. His bright green eyes drooped down and closed shut.

"Just sleep, May. I'm too tired to be arguing with you."

I stared at his handsome face for a second. He looked peaceful, his eyes closed and his hair falling softly across his forehead. My heart softened and I didn't say anything as I lay down again, taking care to move a little further away from Drew. But although I was facing the other way, I could still smell his aftershave and the thought of being so close to him made my heart beat up ten times faster.

"Drew?" I whispered out into the darkness. His name sounded so comfortable to tumble out of my mouth. I couldn't believe that I was beside him again. Here he was, sleeping beside me in a hotel suite in La Rousse. It was all like some twisted dream come true. All of those days that I spent, cherishing that old wedding dress and missing his presence were finally gone. And I couldn't bear the thought that I was going to be away from him again in five days after this mission was complete.

"Yeah, May?" Drew replied, indicating that he was still awake. His voice sounded deeper and more mysterious in the silence that fell over the huge room. I felt a teardrop roll down my cheek, as I couldn't help but feel that I was losing him again. Here he was, so close to me, yet I felt like it was all just a magical illusion that would fade away in a few days. It was almost like trying to keep a snowflake from melting, a bubble from popping.

"I-I'm really glad that you're here." I finally managed to say and kept a sob down in my throat. It was so bittersweet. Despite how much of an arrogant jerk he was, I knew that it was undeniable how much he meant to me.

I heard the sound of him breathing out and I glanced at him over my shoulder, to see his sparkling green eyes glistening in the darkness.

"Me too, May. _Me too_."

* * *

Author's Note:  
Review please (:

-_Suzie x_


	14. I Knew You Were Trouble

Author's Note:

Hi (: OKAY so, wow! It's been over a year since I last updated this baby. Where the hell does time go? So much has changed in that one year span, but one thing hasn't changed! HOW MUCH I LOVE MY READERS.

Seriously guys. You guys are the best. I sincerely hope that you all would still remember this story and read this update.

* * *

| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E**rsatz | ~ | ~ |**  
**

_14_

_"**I K**new **Y**ou **W**ere **T**rouble"_

_-SuzieQuaKes-  
_

* * *

_"I knew you were trouble when you walked in, so shame on me now. Flew me to places I'd never been. Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground."_

* * *

"I know, I know, I know . . . I'm _sorry, _Dawn. But—"

"Don't you 'but' me, May Maple! Do you have any idea how worried _sick_ I was? Do you? I guess you don't! And seriously, it has not been easy covering at Blessed Blue and I expect a little call from you in return telling about where the _hell_ you are and what the _fuck_ you have been doing!"

I had to hold the little red cell-phone away from my ear, wincing as the loud shrieks protruded from the device. Had I already mentioned how incredibly dramatic Dawn Berlitz could be? Probably had. I meant, really. It only had been one day since I left. Sometimes it really made me wonder how I ever had been her best friend for like, half of my life. Then again, Dawn did have her good moments. Obviously this was not one of them.

I sighed as I dropped my head into my palm as Dawn continued to shout into the phone at like, ten thousand words per second. What a way to start the morning. To rewind a little bit, I had just woken up a few hours ago in a bed that was too large and spacey for me. Which only meant one thing: Drew was gone. Seriously, after our heartfelt moment last night, I would have thought that he would've stuck around a little bit—at least until after breakfast. But I guess he had other stuff to do and hey, he _was_ Drew Hayden. Not exactly the type to stick around for cuddles and breakfast after a one-night stand. Thank God that I had enough conscious in me to not have sex with him the day before.

That wasn't the point. I found that he left a little note by the bedside table explaining that he went out early to take a look around the casino to know what he was up against. He also told me to feel free to order some room service—something I, of course, took him up for. For the record, the breakfast at this place was totally scrumptious. What a surprise, right? The moment I finished eating was also the moment when my phone started buzzing and ringing and seeing Dawn's number on the phone, I knew what I was in store for. You could only imagine the 'fun' that ensued afterwards.

"Are you even _listening_ to me?"

I snapped out of my thoughts quickly enough to answer her. "Yes, yes, I am. I'm sorry for everything, okay? Sorry for not calling, sorry that I left you and Laura there at the shop during the busiest time of the year but come _on_. It's only been a day! I can't report back to you every second . . ."

I heard a large intake of air followed by an even larger exhale before Dawn replied, sounding a little calmer. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that out on you . . . it's just work and Paul and . . . You wouldn't believe how much of a _jerk_ that he's been to me—"

"Dawn, he's always a jerk to you." I was fast to interject, rolling my eyes. "It's all part of this whole 'I love you—I hate you', weird-ass sex tension that you two have. Just sleep with him and get it over with already."

"Well . . . I did but . . ."

"What?" I burst out in shock. "You two have already . . .?"

Dawn sounded a little embarrassed as she whispered: "Yeah . . . It was _one_ night, after an office night out and we were drunk and . . . Just, whatever! Tell me about you! You're with Drew _fuckin'_ Hayden. How did that ever happen anyway?"

I laughed a little as I dangled my feet off the bed. "Oh, you wouldn't believe it if I told you. We're currently in La Rousse. In a hotel room. Together. And he's a jerk—a different kind of jerk than Paul. End of story."

"Whoa, what? Slow down there! In a hotel? In_ La Rousse_? What, are you out of your mind? What are you doing there with him?"

I opened my mouth to answer but before I could speak, the sound of the front door unlocking was heard followed by footsteps that got louder with each second. Before I knew it, there he was: the said-jerk. In all his glory brown hair. I could not help but laugh as he entered the room. That hair would get some time to get used to. Hell, I didn't think I would _not_ find it funny even after seeing it every day for months.

"I'll call you back later, Dawn." I said into the phone and before she could say another word, I clicked it off.

"Was that Dawn Berlitz?" Drew asked as he leaned against the doorway of the bedroom. He rolled his eyes at my snickers and brushed away his brown fringe haughtily. "Crazy as ever, I presume?"

I shrugged my shoulders briefly. "Can't say you're wrong." I brushed away my own black hair (uck) from my face before looking at him again. He was dressed pretty casually, in a hoodie and sneakers. I didn't know if those clothes were supposed to act as a camouflage in any way, but I had to admit, it wouldn't draw a lot of attention either. "Where have you been, anyway? Oh and don't be mad if I totally maxed out on the room service. Too many items on the menu and I couldn't choose."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from _you_." He retorted back before entering the room and seating himself on the chair in front of the bed. Quietly, he surveyed all the papers in front of him and scribbled something with a pencil before thoughtfully sighing. I frowned a little.

Okay, so it was true that when Drew was being a smart-aleck bastard, it was annoying as hell, but he was being a little _too_ quiet. And it was never good to see him out of the ordinary. I sat up a little in bed and crossed my legs together as I tilted my head a little to get a better look at him. He had his head in his hand as he stared at the papers in front of him. The same papers that showed a detailed framework of the casino and all its different doors and exits. He was working, I gathered that much—but it didn't seem like he was seeing anything in front of him. Like he was totally lost in thought.

"Hey . . ." I called out softly. "You okay?"

Drew didn't look up or turn towards me as he continued staring down and flicking the pencil between his fingers. "I'm fine, May."

I wasn't so easily convinced. Call me petty or annoying or interfering, but he was totally not feeling okay and despite how much of a total asshole he was, I still cared, I guess. Well, cared _enough_. He was my friend, to say the very least.

"Drew, come on. You may call me dense or whatever, but I know you. And I know that you're not acting yourself."

He turned his head with a little smirk on his face as he looked at me. "And you're the one who says I'm an douche-bag when I'm myself." I smiled a little back in return and he took a deep inhale before shrugging his shoulders. "It's nothing. I was exploring the casino and . . . God, he really changed that place up. It's nothing it was in the past anymore."

I guessed that the 'he' that Drew was referring to was probably his uncle. I got up from the bed towards him and crossed my arms over my chest as I stood next to him. "We're going to get it back, okay?"

He shrugged his shoulders again, nonchalantly before his face softened a little. He didn't look at my face, staring down at the papers. It took him a while before he said anything. "When . . . when my Dad owned it, it was so different. The casino meant everything to him and he worked so hard on it." A smile crossed Drew's face as his hair fell into his eyes. "When I finally turned legal and could go inside, I was amazed by it. It was the place for fun, for adventure. It was classy and it was just . . . a _haven_. You know? Somewhere you could go and forget about everything bad that was happening in the world, in your life." The smiled dropped. "Now it's just a _scam._"

I couldn't help but sympathize with the pain that he was feeling. I leaned a little on the desk and bent a little to level with his face. He still wasn't looking at me. "Hey . . ." His eyes flickered a little as they hesitantly met mine. "I know . . . I know that this casino, your Dad's legacy—it means everything to you. And we're going to get it back, okay?" He slowly nodded and I smiled. "I'm sure your Dad is so proud of you, wherever he is."

Drew's green eyes, bright as burning flames, gazed at me and his lips slowly curved into a smile. A pure, genuine smile. Goodness, he was capable of it, after all. "Thanks, May."

I felt my heart kind of skip a beat at his words. I diverted my eyes from his face to keep the blush from spreading on my face. So wrong, so wrong . . . yet _so _right. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stepped away from him. I couldn't do this—couldn't let myself give Drew Hayden another chance to break my heart. I was sure that this time, there would be no healing. This time, there would be no moving on.

I could feel his eyes on me but I kept mine low to the ground as I walked back to the bed.

"No problem."

* * *

Drew called a meeting in our room a couple of hours later. After our heart-to-heart, he had resumed working on his desk—occasionally talking to George on the phone for strategies and advice. Apparently Posy hadn't been heard from yet but George had gotten in contact with the pilot from the jet that she and Danny took. They had already arrived on the island and were probably having a ball.

I rolled my eyes at the news. How was it possible that Danny and Posy—two people who had known each other for like a week, at the very most—end up in a fairytale romance while I was still struggling with mine? Life was just too unfair.

I spent my time on the bed, browsing the Internet on his laptop. I was no Bonnie Parker and I was of no help to plan this entire business. I phoned my parents while I had the free time. They still believed that I was having a romantic getaway with Danny and were not worried about me at all. I could only hope that I wouldn't surprise them with my picture in the paper under '_Arrested for C__asino Heist'. _

Anyway, our room was soon filled with "the Gang": Molly, Jonno, Vanya, Gary, Allie and David. I hadn't seen the last two at dinner the other night, but I guessed that they were busy with their own things. They were the technology experts and knew how to hack into any computer they wanted. It was going to come in handy if we wanted to bypass the security system installed in the casino.

Everybody scattered around the 'sitting room' of the suite. There were enough couches for everybody to sit comfortably but unfortunately, I was returned to the role of Drew's wife and so I had no other choice of sitting next to anybody else but him. I wasn't entirely comfortable with that, but there was nothing that I could do about it.

Drew rolled out a huge whiteboard and already stuck on it were plans of the casino and a very basic sketch of all the different entrances and exits on each floor. It was a six-storey casino and security was tight as hell. Needless to say, it wasn't going to be easy . . .

"As you all know, we only have three days to plan." Molly assumed the role of the leader, as always. She stood up beside the whiteboard, in her shiny new blond hair. "That means three days to fill out every possible loophole, to come up with the most foolproof system of action. Drew and I have worked on some basic outlines of who is going to be doing what." Her eyes lay on the man beside me. "Drew, you wanna come up?"

He nodded his head and left my side, walking up to Molly. "So the most important thing that we want to do is simple." He smirked and his green eyes flashed. "Not fail." The room chuckled a little and his smirk deepened before he resumed talking. "The casino is equipped with the best possible security system there is. There are cameras everywhere—literally everywhere. There are going to be security guards and snitches _all around_. They are in the crowd and you never know who they are until your shoulder is tapped and you're robbed out of all your winnings. Don't be fooled by all the glitz and glamor. It's a place where money is ripped off of millions of innocent people every day." Drew's eyes hardened. "It's a place where my uncle's dexterity comes to shine."

I swallowed. I wasn't getting cold feet, it was just . . . The entire mission seemed so _huge_. It was so overwhelming to be involved in such an affair, especially for a girl like me who had never done anything _bad_ in my life. Nonetheless, I returned my attention back to what Drew was saying. He looked so serious as he talked. "Okay, so when my Dad owned this place, he placed a safe in the basement of the building. It's very underground and there were a lot of security features you had to get pass to access it. It can be assumed that my uncle keeps his money in the same place. Our goal is to reach it." He turned his head towards the two techies. "Allie and David, I want you to see if you can access the security system on your computers. See if there's any way that you can hack into it, break it down."

"We've been trying since we got here." David answered, pushing his wild mop of frizzy hair to the back. "There are a lot of firewalls and we've been able to get pass two of them. Even if we can hack in, there's no assuring how long we can keep it down. The system is very advanced and your uncle will be notified about it in a few minutes, if not immediately."

Drew took in the information and nodded his head. "I expected as much. A few minutes is enough, just try to keep it down for as long as you can." He then diverted his gaze to me. His green eyes sparkled and just that was enough to make a blush spread onto my face. Stupid me. "Posy and I will be at the roulette table. It's where the most money is made and where my uncle's attention is most at. He will take the bait and come onto us."

I swear the color dropped from my face. Bait? Drew and I were to be the baits? But why? I bit my lip from speaking out in protest. Drew smirked a little at me. "Posy can act as my 'lucky charm'. Sit on my lap and all that."

A couple of chuckles rang out again and I narrowed my eyes at him. Lucky charm? Was he kidding me? No. He was torturing me. He was an evil bastard.

"How come _she_ gets the best role?" I heard Gary say. Laughter followed suit and I looked up to see Gary smirking at Drew. Drew just looked very annoyed.

"I'm sorry to crush your dreams, Oak." He shot back. Damn, it was so good to see Drew meeting his match.

"Come on, guys. We don't have time to be bickering." Molly cut in before anything got really serious. Aw, the fun was over; I found myself thinking.

That was just too bad. It was all time for business now.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, I know. It's a shitty place to stop at. But hey, it's an update! :) Please reviews, guys. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Love,

-Suzie x


	15. A Song About Love

Author's Note: Hi dear readers! (: I'm trying really hard to not disappear off the face of the planet once again. Which would explain the reason why I'm trying my very best to give you guys an update! I'm aware that the CS fandom isn't as it used to be and most of us have moved on with our lives than sit around reading/writing made up fictions.

Having said that—I would just like to say that I'm not going to be giving up on my readers or my stories, no matter how _dead_ the fandom is and how little reviews I've been receiving for my updated chapters.

Anyway, ending this long-ass author's note—enjoy the new chapter of Blue Ersatz! :)

* * *

| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E**rsatz| ~ | ~ |

_15  
"__**A S**__ong __**A**__bout __**L**__ove__"_

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

* * *

"_You told me you loved me and I tried to move on. It's so hard to get up when you fall, so I wrote about a song about love—but it's nothing at all."_

* * *

"Man, I'm poofed!"

Drew exclaimed as he threw himself onto the bed, rather forcefully. The mattress bounced under his weight, the springs shaking appreciatively. He breathed out hard and flicked his black hair away from his face. I sat up straight from where I was laying and dropped the pamphlet I was reading about La Rousse City. Seriously? Did he not know how to say a word or two announcing that he was back _before_ he tossed himself to bed?

"Drew! You startled me!"

He had left the room a couple of hours ago, claiming that he had a meeting with Molly. It was the second day of preparations and I wasn't needed for the most part, apparently. Not that I would be much help anyway, being new to this entire criminal business. He told me to feel free to order whatever room service I wished and explore a little if I wanted to—but to not get _too _far. He didn't want to be filing a missing person report. I simply rolled my eyes at this statement but I knew better and stayed at the hotel. The promise of all-you-can-order gourmet food was more than enough to entice me.

He turned around to face me with his head still on the pillow. A smirk crept its way to his features. "Sorry, scaredy-cat. What were you doing all day anyway?"

I turned away from him a little bit to create some distance between us. It made me uncomfortable to be so close to him on the bed. _Not _that I felt anything for him—it was just . . . awkward to be so near him in such an intimate way. I clutched my knees to my chest and placed the pamphlet back onto the nightstand. "I ordered _all_ the food on the menu and paid a visit to the spa downstairs." I grinned at him and rubbed my shoulder muscles in pleasure. "Ah, a full body massage and a facial does wonders!"

The (newly) brown haired man grunted and rolled his eyes at me. "Well geez, thanks for rubbing it in. Here I am, working twelve hours a day on this heist and here _you _are, enjoying all the luxury you can." He closed his eyes afterwards for a slight second as if he was far too tired to keep them open. The green orbs did look stressed though, I noticed. Not that it was much of a surprise considering that to conjure up some foolproof plan to raid a multimillionaire's casino wasn't a piece of cake. "George called today."

I quirked a brow at him, the statement catching my attention. "And?" Surely, he wasn't _too_ mad at my pretending to be his daughter. I mean—I was putting my own life in danger just so that they were able to complete this mission.

Drew shrugged his shoulders and rolled a little bit closer to me on the bed. His smirk dug deeper into his face as if he knew exactly why I had moved away earlier. That rat. "He's pleased that we're making fast progress. He also said your _boyfriend_ and Posy just got caught by one of his men. They're being sent back to Petalburg."

I inched away slowly from Drew, making sure to give him a look—but the news was surprising. Posy and Danny were caught _already_? That was some short-lived honeymoon. "Are they going to get into a lot of trouble?"

"George wouldn't do anything to hurt his precious only daughter. Now, _Danny_—I'm not too sure."

"Drew!"

"What?" He smirked at me, his eyes glittering like little jewels. He slowly inched his body closer, and I knew now that he was totally aware that I was moving away every time. "Worried about your boyfriend?"

I rolled my eyes but a flush made its way to my face as I gazed into my ex fiancé's twinkling emerald eyes. He knew exactly what kind of affect he had on me and he was using it to his advantage every time. Stupid Drew. I'd get him. I cleared my throat, trying to seem like I wasn't fazed at all by this sudden closeness. "First of all, Danny is no longer my boyfriend. I think that was established pretty clearly when he _eloped_ with _your _fiancée." I curtly turned up my lip. "But I am worried though! If not anything—Danny's my friend! And he's so close to my family. I don't want to have to explain to my Dad why his assistant ended up in a body bag."

"Oh, May. You are so dramatic." Drew scoffed at me. "George isn't going to go that far. Besides, I was only kidding. I think George accepted the fact that his daughter just married some stockbroker instead of his top man." He smirked at me. "I guess I know where _your _feelings stand now."

It was my turn to scoff. "Don't work yourself up. I'm over him."

I guess I _was_ over him. I knew that I had spent literally ages crushing on Danny Parker, but somehow—it remained just that. Just some stupid schoolgirl crush; nothing more and nothing less. It was nothing like the way that I had felt for . . . him. Drew. Yet, I couldn't be thinking of that. Not now. Not anymore. I had already spent too much of my time on him. He would laugh out loud if he knew how long I had spent moping over him, all the days that I spent in bed—unable to get up because the pain was just too much. He would definitely label me as that obsessive, stupid girl that couldn't get over a guy that left her like that.

Said-man smiled at me, evidently unaware of the thoughts that I had, and closed his eyes once more. "And I guess I'm over Posy . . ."

"That's quite fast to get over a fiancée." The words left my lips before I even had a chance to think and I sounded bitterer than I had even intended to. I bit my lower lip and cursed myself for letting the words slip out that easily. What was I thinking? Yet, deep inside—I knew what I was thinking. I wanted to know whether it was that easy for him the first time when he left _me_ at the altar. I wanted to know if he even felt the slightest bit of resent when he walked away . . .

Drew was quiet for a slight moment before he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling with a straight face. The words hung in the awkward air and I wished that I could get them back. Finally, he spoke. "I was never in love with Posy." His tone was steady and soft and he kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling. "Yes, I loved her—but it was only as a brother would love a sister. I was like that to her, you know. She doesn't have any siblings, any relatives or friends at all, so she relied on me and I looked after her." His eyes tore away to stare into my own, the green orbs flickering with emotion. "I'm actually glad she found somebody that could love her in the way that I never will."

I rubbed the stitching on my shorts and hugged my knees tighter to my chest. Drew's words repeated in my head. My heart ached despite how much I tried to make it go away. I shook my head and forced a smile onto my face. It's too late, May; I told myself. It's no use to feel these things anymore. "I'm glad for her too!" I chirped in the best possible voice I could muster and stood up from bed, heading to the direction of the small kitchenette. "I'm going to fix a snack. Want anything?"

"May."

I stopped and let out a caged breath. The sinking, tight feeling in my gut just wouldn't go away. "Yeah?" I whispered, not daring to turn back to look at him. Not daring to see those piercing green eyes and taste that bitter rejection.

"I'm sorry."

I closed my eyes and swallowed back everything that rose up to my chest. All the tears, the hurt. I couldn't let him know how much it hurt me—how could I? That would just be stupid because I knew he didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain when he left me like that. His apology meant _nothing_ after all the damage that he had done. Yet, I still faked cheerfulness in my voice. For my dignity. For Drew. "What about?"

I heard him sigh before he spoke. "Look at me."

I winced and turned around slowly, taking a deep breath. I tried to keep the same cheerful smile on my face, as if everything was right in the world and nothing hurt. Drew's eyes were serious as he looked at me from the bed. He had sat up and leaned against the wooden bedframe with his back. Brushing a hand through his soft hair, he sighed again. "I just want to let you know that it wasn't easy for me to walk away from you."

I couldn't help it anymore. I felt the tears rising up to my chest, threatening to spill out from my eyes. I swallowed again as the words repeated inside my mind. So many things were swirling inside my brain now that it was hard to even think. It wasn't easy to walk away from me? Wasn't easy? Oh, Drew. It _killed_ me. But how would you know? I forced the tears to go away and for my voice to be strong. "I'm glad to hear that."

"May, honestly. What do you want me to say?"

"You said you _loved_ me!" I couldn't contain it. The lid I kept tight on my emotions just popped open. The words were just too overdue—the confrontation was too late. I had a million things in my head that it felt like a tornado was brewing inside my brain. For so many days, I had thought of the words to say to him once I saw him again. For so many days, I worked up conversations in my head and collected words that would hurt him—maybe not in the same way that he hurt me, but to some slight degree. Yet, now that the confrontation was actually happening, everything left my head and in the end, all I wanted to say was how much I missed him and how much it hurt. I breathed out roughly, my rib cage aching. I whispered out the next words. "_Was that a lie?" _

It took a while before Drew said anything. The tears welled up in my eyes and I tried to blink them away as much as I could. I didn't even notice how tensed I was until I felt my nails digging into my palm from where I was clenching my fist in tight balls. I waited for his answer that would change _everything. _Finally, Drew spoke in a strangled sounding voice—so soft that I had to strain to hear him. "I wasn't supposed to love you."

"What does that even mean?" I exclaimed. He wasn't supposed to love me? I just couldn't understand him anymore. In fact, I don't think I ever did.

Drew sighed, appearing fifty years older. His eyes dimmed and he looked so tired. "It was a job, May. I had to play my role and you had your own."

After he said those words, it was like something inside of me had snapped as I stomped over to him. I had kept it inside for too long and now it felt like I would burst if I didn't let him know. All the pain and hurt over the past two years came rushing back to me like a sudden tornado. I couldn't contain myself anymore. "So I was just a pawn in your stupid little game?" I demanded. "Is that it? Do you always just go and propose to a girl before leaving her on the day of her wedding for the sake of your little business? Do you have _any_ morality whatsoever?!" By then, the tears were definitely falling as they cascaded down my cheeks and soaked my t-shirt. My heart hurt so much that it felt like it would explode from my chest.

"It's not like that . . ."

I sniffed roughly and bit my lower lip as the tears fell down my face. "Then what's it like, Drew Hayden?!"

"I _told you —_it wasn't supposed to go that far!" I had never seen him so livid with emotions as Drew stood up from the bed and exclaimed the words. His hair fell into his shining eyes and he brushed them back with annoyance as he stared deep into me. "I was never supposed to have proposed to you! Never supposed to have loved you. And I'm _so _sorry that I did!"

The clenched fists of mine fell down to my side as the words left his mouth. My dry mouth opened and closed, trying to find the right words to say. He did? He actually . . . loved me? "Drew . . ."

He refused to look into my eyes as he inserted both hands into the pocket of his jeans and rushed past me to the open balcony. He slid the glass door open and stepped outside into the cool La Rousse air where the sky was slowly darkening into a shade of indigo. I stared at him for a moment before brushing away the tears from my face and following him. I wouldn't let him run away this time—I couldn't. I slid through the open glass doors and approached him slowly. He had his head turned up to the city skyline, appearing lost in thought. I stared at the man that I had fallen in love with and whispered out the next words: "Why didn't you call?"

He stiffened before he turned around slowly to face me with those piercing green eyes. His eyes widened before staring down at the ground. "May, I—"

"Why couldn't you have just picked up the phone and gave me a call? I waited, Drew. I waited _every_ single day." I noticed that I was taking steps closer and closer to him. I didn't know what I was doing; all I knew was that it felt right. He finally looked up at me with hurt deep inside his eyes. "It wasn't over for me . . ."

He didn't face me anymore and his head was down. "I-I couldn't."

"You couldn't?" I demanded, repeating his words. I felt myself getting enraged again. "You couldn't have explained to me why you left? You couldn't have just picked up the phone and tell me that you weren't going to come back—that you had gotten _engaged_ with someone else? You thought _that_ little of me that you couldn't do that?"

He reached out and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. His eyes revealed so much hurt deep inside, so much resent that he had hidden away. He shook his head slowly and hesitated before speaking in a soft voice. "Just hearing your voice . . . would've made me run back here." He stared into my eyes and brushed away a stand of hair that was falling across my face. A slight smirk came onto his face as his eyes softened. "You say it wasn't over for you? It wasn't over for me either."

Before I could say another word, he pulled me deeper into him and took me into a tight embrace. I closed my eyes as my cheek hit his chest and his wonderful scent drifted up my nose. A tear slid down my face as his arms around my frame. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to take in that moment—that feeling of having him so near to me. I needed just one last embrace, just one last taste of his warmth. Swallowing hard, I took a deep breath before doing the one thing that I didn't want to do at all. I pulled myself away from him and ignoring the look of confusion that sprung into his eyes, I turned my back. I couldn't do this—not anymore. I loved him, it was true—but I couldn't let myself open to that kind of rejection again. I couldn't have him leave me again. We were only on a mission that would be over in three days and he would walk out of my life like none of this even happened.

Like none of this meant a thing.

I couldn't let myself go through that pain again. I didn't think I would be able to take it this time. So I walked away, my heart crumbling with every step I took. I murmured four words that would change everything and throw away every word we had said in the past fifteen minutes.

"This is a mistake."

* * *

Saturday. The fifth day that we had arrived to La Rousse. The day that Drew and Molly had set as the day of action. Saturday was the beginning of the weekend, the day where Drew's uncle made the most money out of all the days of the week. It was the day when the high rollers came to blow off some steam from a long week of business deals and moneymaking. La Rousse was a city full of high end businessmen, top paid lawyers and millionaires and their weekly retreat came from booze, gambling and women—all of which were offered at Casino Valencia.

Of course, after the heated confrontation between Drew and I, the air around the hotel room was a little awkward for a few days. I guess we had established exactly what we were to each other: partners in this mission—nothing more and nothing less. I tried to remain positive and upbeat whenever Drew _was_ around though and thankfully he wasn't around most of the time. He was always busy having conferences with Molly and phone calls with George. Needless to say, the mission was important and he obviously did not want to fail it. It would land him and all of us in prison—not to mention losing his father's legacy.

The night before Saturday, we had a group dinner and a conference with the 'Gang' where Drew and Molly explained in detail everything that we were going to be doing and what everyone's roles were. I wasn't exactly pleased at mine. Apparently, I had one of the most important roles—to keep Drew's uncle busy. _Me_, out of all the experienced criminals in the Gang, had to have direct contact with Drew's uncle. Wasn't that just a blast?

Saturday night, Drew and I were in our suite, getting ready for the most important event that we had been preparing for. I guess it was unnecessary to say that I was literally freaking out. Butterflies flapped wildly in my stomach as I sat in front of the dressing table, doing my makeup. Drew's uncle apparently had a soft side for dark haired, exotic looking women full of charm and grace. With my newly black hair and contacts, I had that 'exotic' department ticked off. It was the 'charm' and 'grace' that worried me.

"Are you sure that this is going to work?" I asked for millionth time that day as I brushed back my carefully curled black hair to the side. Drew stood behind me, fixing his red bow tie. He smirked at me, whipping his hair to the side.

"Just trust me, May. Do as I say and I promise that you won't end up sitting in a jail cell."

"Well thanks for _that _image." I grumbled as I applied dark red lipstick. My makeup had been done to perfection, the dark red lipstick matching the blood-red dress that draped my body. It was surely the most gorgeous dress that I had ever seen—the silk fabric clinging to my body in all the right spots. It was revealing and at the same time, it allured the exact amount of mystery of wanting to see more. It was definitely the effect that I was going for.

Drew had dressed charmingly as well. He was dressed in a fancy, twelve thousand dollar tuxedo and appeared exactly like one of those young, confident businessmen that had inherited most of their money from their parents and were only getting introduced to the high-end party scene. He looked dashing, to say the least. I was his date, Sierra Ersatz.

"May." I was lifted out of my thoughts to look at Drew in the mirror. He smirked at me before reaching out to dig something from his jacket pocket. Finally founding what he was looking for, he got out a rectangular velvet box. I looked at him curiously and his smirk grew further in his face before he flipped open the box. Inside it laid the most _beautiful_ necklace that I had ever seen. It was sparkling, with a giant ruby in the center with tiny diamonds and emeralds surrounding it. The light caught the jewels and it glinted. I gasped as I turned in my seat to face him.

"It's beautiful!"

"I know." He smirked at me once more and lifted the necklace from the box, reaching out to clasp it around my neck. "My uncle is big on classy women. With these jewels around your neck, he will be drawn to you like a moth to a flame." I tried not to blush as his warm hands brushed my neck. He stood back after hooking it and admired the glinting jewels. "You don't look bad for a klutz."

I rolled my eyes at this and turned back to face the mirror with a smile on my face. I looked at the glittering necklace around my neck and stroked it with my fingertips.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

* * *

Author's Note: Hehe, I'm ending it here :) The chapter is already quite long so I hope you're satisfied guys! I'll try to update sooner from now on. The heist scene is definitely coming in the next chapter and you'll see exactly whether they fail or succeed at getting the casino!

Yay, I'm excited about the next chapter!

Anyway, review guys! PLEASE. Love you all!

-_Suzie x_


	16. It's Time

Author's Note: Hi guys :) Yeah, I guess I'm back with a new chapter. I've been through a really tough time in my life recently, which would explain the delay in the update. I just feel so sick of everything and really felt like I've had more than enough with life.

I guess I am feeling a little better now and I just thought writing this would help take my mind off things for a bit. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews everyone. You guys are just stars :)

Hope that you enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

| ~ | ~ | **B** l u e . **E**rsatz| ~ | ~ |

_16  
"**I**t's **T**ime"_

_-SuzieQuaKes-_

* * *

_"I don't ever wanna let you down. I don't ever wanna leave this town, cause after all. This city never sleeps at night."_

* * *

"More champagne?"

I tried to smile at the figure that I had obviously caught the interest of. The man was very tall, slightly lean with a sprinkle of grey in his otherwise neatly cropped dark chartreuse hair. His eyes gleamed over with a sparkle and a hint of lust as it studied my face before dropping the gaze down to my body. The thoughtless dark orbs paused for a second to admire the jewels on my neck. Of course, Drew was right. The necklace was definitely the last factor that added to my "allure" over this man. Despite the smile that was on his face, I could just sense a taste of evil coming off him. Nefarious.

"Certainly." I felt my voice catch into my throat but the man didn't seem to notice as he grasped the expensive crystal champagne glass from my hand and turned to pour more of the liquid from the dark green bottle. My palms sweated. I could not believe that I was in the same room as this man—alone. As he handed the filled glass back to me, I placed the same smile on my lips. "Thank you, Alistair."

Alistair . . . Alistair Hayden. Drew's infamous uncle. You would've thought that the old English name would be out of fashion by now. Yet, everything about the man facing me screamed of classiness. He was nothing like those evil villains that you would see in cartoons or movies. He was calm, calculated and seemed to have forethought every angle before making a move. He was a . . . _predator_ and his cold dark eyes showed no mercy for his prey.

I took a deep intake of air before sipping at the champagne offered to me. I could only hope that I was able to play my role properly . . . I swear, once we were done with this heist, I would _kill_ Drew for giving me—the most _inexperienced _one—such a role . . .

But how did I get here, in this private suite, with this vindictive man?

Let's back up a little . . .

* * *

"Calm down! I can hardly clip this on with all your shaking and if it falls out while you're with my uncle—_then_ you're definitely screwed!"

Drew was exclaiming as he tried to place a tiny earphone inside my ear. The tiny microchip would be the means of communication between all of us, he had explained earlier. A microphone was attached to it and if I needed anything or was facing any sort of emergency, all I needed to do was to yell and they would immediately come to my rescue. I would also be hearing instructions from the crew, if they had any to give.

"You mean you're _all_ screwed." I corrected him, matter-of-factly but truth was—I was definitely shaking. I couldn't help myself. We had dressed and our disguises were on to perfection but I just couldn't stop the nervous butterflies from flapping in the pit of my stomach. It didn't help knowing that I was to be having direct face-time with his uncle. _Me! _Could they not have thought of anybody else? Anybody with, say, more _experience?!_ But of course, Drew had informed me that my looks were better suited for the job, as his uncle preferred dark-haired maidens. All the other girls in our gang were just not 'right looking'—as he put it. Yet I could swear, he just did it because he wanted to make me squirm.

"There." He ignored my last remark and stood back to take a look at the chip placed in my ear. "It's not magnetic and it's hidden by your earlobe so the securities won't be catching sight of it." He then turned to smirk at my distressed face. "You ready, scaredy-cat?"

I took a deep breath of air, before rolling my eyes at him. I could feel color rising to my cheeks a little at the way his eyes twinkled as they looked at me. Ever since our little confrontation, Drew had appeared a little . . . nicer—to say the least. A little glint was always present in his eyes whenever he looked at me, and I tried my best to ignore it. "No. But let's go before I change my mind about this entire thing!"

We made our way out of the hotel room and down to the lobby where the limo stood waiting for us. It was all preplanned, I knew. Molly had already left for the casino and the rest of the members were to be making their appearances after Drew and I had took our places. As the chauffeur helped me into the car, I pursed my lips together. Drew stepped into the limo beside me with a confident smile. The door was shut and the limo pulled off smoothly afterwards.

"You really think this will work?" I nervously turned towards my companion. He looked back at me charmingly, but I could see the tension drawing lines in his forehead. I was sure that he was anxious too, but he just chose not to show it—since he _was_ Drew Hayden after all.

He smirked at me before reaching towards the mini bar situated in front of us. Unscrewing a bottle of vintage scotch, he poured the copper-colored liquid into two cups. Dropping an ice-cube into the drink, he handed it over to me. "That'll probably make you feel better. My uncle can tell when a person is worried so just try to appear confident and easy, all right?" A smile then graced his features. Despite the brown hair and the contacts, Drew looked handsome—I had to admit. "Everything will be fine, May. Trust me."

I took a deep breath and nodded, before sipping at the bitter liquid. I made a face as the whisky burned my tongue. I wasn't very used to drinking hard liquor. Drew laughed at my expression. "Just hold your breath and pour it down." He advised, gulping at his own cup. "It'll ease you up a bit."

I nodded again and followed his instructions, pouring down the burning liquid down my throat with a sudden movement. I winced as the burning escalated down my throat and into my stomach but in a minute, I felt a little better. My breathing began to steady a little. Drew, if he noticed, said nothing and just sipped on his drink thoughtfully as he stared out of the window. I didn't bother him, as I knew that he was probably just collecting his thoughts.

Before I knew it, we had reached Casino Valencia. As the limo lined up towards the big entrance of the casino, I noticed that we weren't the only pair pulling up in a fancy ride. It was like an exclusive Hollywood gala or something with all the limousines and the people in extravagant clothes. Two big security guards stood at the entrance, as another guard checked for IDs. I could feel the butterflies flap their wings even wilder in my stomach. This was it.

I heard a 'whoosh' as Drew exhaled—perhaps louder than he had intended to. I turned to look at him and realized that he was probably feeling even more nervous than I was, if that was possible. It was _his_ plan after all. Of course, I had a chance of being thrown into prison if this all went wrong, but for Drew—this was _his_ casino. Not only would he be failing himself and George, but he would be failing his father too.

With that sudden thought, I reached over to place a gentle hand on his lap. He looked towards me with a confused look in his eyes and I smiled sweetly at him. "Don't worry. We can do this."

"I thought I was the one reassuring _you_." Drew smirked at me before brushing his hair away from his forehead and nodding his head. A gracious look crossed his eyes. "Thanks, May."

I didn't have the chance to say anything more because our limo had already stopped in front of the entrance of Casino Valencia and the chauffeur pulled open the door. My heart almost skipped three beats as Drew stepped out of the vehicle and extended a hand for me to grasp as I made my way out. I couldn't believe this was actually happening . . . I was about to be entering a casino, which I was later going to help _rob_. This was like some freaky dream come true.

"Good evening sir, ma'am." The man in the tuxedo who was working at the door nodded to us. "May I request an ID?"

I reached to open the dark red clutch that I was holding and pulled out the card that Drew had given me with the fake photo. I handed it to the man, who was already taking a look at Drew's ID. A smile of familiarity crossed his face as he read Drew's card.

"Mr. Nathaniel Blue . . . of course! And this must be your lovely date." He didn't bother to look at my ID as he motioned towards the open glass doors. "Right this way, sir. Casino Valencia is pleased to have you."

As we stepped inside the casino and the man was surely out of sight, I turned to Drew with curious eyes. "What was _that_ all about?"

He smirked back in return, as his eyes gleamed over towards the sights in front of him. "Let's just say I . . . _borrowed_ the name of a rich-boy who had just recently gotten his inheritance. The name Bartholomew Blue ring a bell?" When I shook my head, Drew rolled his eyes at me. "A Forbes-listed real-estate and business tycoon. I just figured that the name should get us in easy without any strict security checkups."

I had to say; the lengths that Drew had gone in order to make this mission a success impressed me. I surveyed my surroundings as Drew held my waist and led me inside of the casino. If the exterior proved anything about the extravagance of this place—the interior didn't fail to compete. Giant chandeliers hung from the ceilings and spotless red carpets draped the floors. I spotted a marble stairway that led up to the second floor, at which a balcony protruded.

Very many people had already arrived; the men in the business suits lingering around the bar and the blackjack table. Women were decked in short, fashionable evening dresses and Drew informed me that most of them were high-end call girls who fed off of the wealthy men that visited the casino.

He led me towards the back of the casino, past the slot machines and towards a door—half-hidden by the giant indoor plant that was placed beside it. A guard stood at the door and looked at us with cold eyes as we approached him. I saw Drew confidently walk up to the man and whisper something into his ear. The man abruptly nodded before opening the door and Drew reached into his pocket, pulling a couple of hundreds and stuffing them into the hand of the guard.

Drew motioned for me to follow him as he entered the door, where a faint light revealed stairs spiraling downwards. We made our way down the staircase and entered a completely different world. Gone were the marble floors and the chandelier lighting. Here, dim lights were set up and the place was smoky and dark. Little rounds of tables were placed where men sat, some with a girl on their laps. I could see various drugs and substances placed onto the tables. There were private rooms to the left where anybody can go in with a girl and music was playing at a very soft yet enticing beat.

Drew had told me all about this place. This was the_ real_ essence of the casino. The "Underground" room as it was often called. The Vault. It was where the _real_ high-end rollers came out to play. It was the place that the police could raid and most of the city's influential, richest and most successful members would leave in handcuffs. I tried not to look around at the people around me. We weren't there to gape at the illegal activity going on. We were there for another purpose.

Drew led the way towards the end of the hall where a table was set up. Five people sat around it and a dealer was distributing cards. The people turned to look at us as we approached them and I could see the sinister looks in their eyes. At the top of the table sat a man with a tattoo on the side of his neck. Beside him was a woman wearing a lot of green eye shadow and another man smoking a cigar. The other two were both young men.

"Any seats left at the table?" I heard Drew remark confidently and the man with the tattoo looked at him coldly before gazing over at me. I could feel the chill creep down my back. The poker table. So much money was made every night at this elite poker table. It was where Drew's uncle's attention was most. Drew had told me that he monitored this poker game twenty-four seven.

"Buy-in's at ten grand." The man with the cigar remarked coolly.

I took a deep breath and opened my clutch to take out the wad of hundred-dollar bills that Drew had given me. I threw it casually onto the poker table, as I was told to do. "Here's twenty."

A taunting grin took over the man's features as he gestured over to the empty seat at the table. "Let's play some cards."

* * *

I glanced nervously at the cards that were in Drew's fingers. An ace and a king—both spades. It was a pretty good hand, I knew. There were only two players left in the round, aside from Drew and I. The woman and the man with the cigar. The rest of the players had folded out and the pool was at fifty-grand. It was a lot at stake.

The dealer placed the first three cards on the table with a grim expression on his face. A thin man with a small mustache and graying brown hair. He didn't catch my eye as he distributed the cards: an eight of hearts, jack of spades and a three of spades. He then motioned his hand towards the woman, asking her what her next move was. She declared a raise, adding in more chips to the pot.

The man with the cigar took a deep puff out of his Cuban before grinning and calling. The pot now consisted of around fifty-five grand. It was our turn to make a move. Drew didn't bat an eye as he stated that he was all-in. The woman decided to put all her chips in as well and the man followed suit—the same grin playing with his lips.

The pool was now consisted of around a hundred grand. Big stakes for some poker game. I really hoped that the dealer wouldn't let us down . . .

The two remaining cards were dealt: a two of hearts and a seven of spades. He had done it. I couldn't help the small smile that toyed with my lips as each player revealed their cards. The woman had a pair of queens and the man with the cigar revealed double aces. Without a single display of emotion, Drew flicked his cards onto the table . . .

"A flush. The gentleman takes the chips."

"Damn it!" The woman pounded her fist on the table before standing up to leave the table angrily. "That was all the money I had!" The man with the cigar looked at us coldly, his dark green eyes sizing us up.

I could feel my heart beating faster in its cage, as my defining moment was about to come. Drew announced that expected friends of his had arrived and he was going to go and greet them at the entrance. He glanced at me with a serious expression in his eye as he stood up from the table. I returned it with a small smile.

I was stacking up the chips that we had won, when I heard the footsteps. All of the room seemed to hush down and even the music appeared to have softened. I could feel the presence in the room even before I turned my back around to look. _He _had arrived. He had taken the bait and had come to investigate this amateur young couple that had just won over a hundred grand at the poker table.

"My, my. What a winning."

The voice was cold and deep. It chilled me to the bone, but of course—I couldn't let that be shown. The rest of the people at the poker table had stood up, flashing each other tense looks before leaving the table quietly. I almost wished that I was one of them and could escape that easily. Yet of course, I had a job to do and I couldn't be running away. Collecting the last bit of nerves that I had, I turned around with a smile on my face.

"Why thank you. And you are . . .?"

"Alistair Hayden." The man smiled back at me, his eyes appreciatively drawn to my appearance. He was wearing a grey business suit with a crisp crease on the blazer. The man appeared to be about fifty in age, but his eyes were sharp as a wolf's. "That's a lot of cash for such a beautiful little vixen as yourself."

I reached out to whip away a curl from my face with the agility that Drew had repeatedly emphasized upon. The same smile remained on my face as I turned to look back at the chips. "Yes, I suppose so. But money is just that. Boring . . . inanimate." I turned my head back towards the man who was looking at me with glowing curiosity in his dark eyes. "It's not for the winnings that I play the game . . . It's for the thrill."

Drew's uncle threw his head back in a laugh. If I weren't caught up in the act of appearing seductive, calm and totally in control of myself—I would've been startled. His laugh was loud, forceful. He looked into my eyes afterwards.

"Then what do you say we play a game of our own?" His lips curved up into a slow smile. "Trust me, my dear. If it is thrill you are looking for, I can give you plenty."

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so I guess I'm going to be a bit cruel and stop this right here! I know that there are too little CS moments in this update, but the next chapter will be plenty of it and more action too! :)

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Maybe the next time I update, I won't be feeling as terrible as I am now.

Please review!

_-Suzie x_


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